How to Set Up WooCommerce Order Total Discounts

Offering discounts on total orders is one of the most effective ways to boost conversions and increase the average order value in your online store. If you’re working with WooCommerce, you’re probably aware of the native discount functionality and the fact that it relies on coupon codes. This requires customers to find, remember, and manually enter codes at checkout.

While functional, this setup is still not ideal, especially in times when convenience is one of the top priorities for online shoppers. So to help you out, we’ll show you how to set up automatic order total discounts using the WooCommerce Discounts plugin. 

You’ll learn to configure conditional cart rules that activate based on spending thresholds, create role-based discounts for different customer groups, and implement dynamic pricing that adjusts automatically as cart values change.

By the end, you’ll have the knowledge to implement sophisticated discount rules that apply automatically – no coupon codes needed – creating a smoother shopping experience while driving larger purchases.

Step by step: Setting up your first order total discount with WooCommerce Discounts

Order total discounts are powerful incentives that can be configured in two main ways: as a percentage of the cart total (e.g. 10% off orders over $100) or as a fixed amount (such as $20 off an item when you spend $100). Both approaches effectively encourage customers to increase their order value to qualify for savings.

Let’s walk through setting up a basic order total discount using the WooCommerce Discounts plugin:

1. Install and activate the WooCommerce Discounts plugin through your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to Marketing → Discounts in your WordPress admin panel, click Add New, and select “Flat discount” as your discount type.
3. Name your discount (e.g. “20% off $100 orders”) and set the active dates if you want this to be a limited-time offer.
4. Configure the discount settings:
   • Set the discount amount to 20%.
   • Choose whether the discount applies to all products or specific categories.
5. Add custom messages to display on product pages and in the cart:
   • Product page: “Spend $100 and get 20% off your entire order!”
   • Cart: “Congrats! You get 20% off your order!”
6. Under Conditions, add a rule that the discount is only applied if the cart is over $100. Here you can also decide whether you want to exclude items already on sale. 
7. Save your discount rule.

This discount will now automatically apply when a customer’s cart reaches $100, without requiring them to enter any coupon codes. The discount will appear in their cart summary, showing the savings they’re receiving.

Having your discount apply automatically creates a smoother checkout experience compared to forcing customers to hunt for, remember, and manually enter coupon codes. It also provides instant gratification when they see the discount applied in real time as their cart value increases.

Creating cart discounts for specific customer roles

Sometimes you’ll want to offer special discounts to specific groups of customers, such as wholesale buyers, affiliates, or loyal members. The WooCommerce Discounts plugin makes it easy to create role-based discounts that only apply to selected customer types.

Let’s modify our previous 20% off $100 discount to make it exclusive for wholesale customers. You can edit your existing discount rule or create a new one following the steps above. 

1. Under the Conditions section, where you specified the cart amount needed for the discount, add a new rule.
2. Find the “User role” option and select “Wholesaler” from the dropdown menu of available user roles. If you don’t see the role you need, you may need to create it first using a user role management plugin.
3. Save your changes.

Now, only customers with the “Wholesale” role will see and receive this discount when they spend $100 or more. This targeted approach allows you to:

• Create tiered pricing structures for different customer groups.
• Reward loyal customers with exclusive discounts.
• Offer professional or volume buyers better rates.
• Create member-only promotions.

You can further customize these role-based discounts by adjusting the minimum spend threshold for different groups. For instance, you might set a lower qualifying amount for wholesale customers ($85 instead of $100) to acknowledge their regular business.

This type of segmented discount strategy helps build loyalty among your most valuable customer groups while maintaining your regular pricing structure for standard customers.

Building tiered spending rewards

Tiered spending rewards encourage customers to add more items to their cart by offering increasingly attractive discounts at different spending thresholds. This strategy effectively increases your average order value while giving customers more value.

You can easily do this by creating multiple discount rules – one for each tier. 

1. Start by creating a rule for your first tier (5% off when spending $50).
2. Name it appropriately (e.g. “Tier 1: 5% off $50+”) and set up the conditions:
   • 5% discount amount
   • $50 minimum cart value
3. Save this rule and create your second tier by clicking Add New again.
4. For the second tier (10% off when spending $75):
   • Name it “Tier 2: 10% off $75+”.
   • Set 10% discount amount.
   • Set $75 minimum cart value.
   • Make sure this rule has a higher priority than the first (lower priority number).

You already have the highest tier (20% off when spending $100), so you can keep that one as is.  

The system will automatically apply the highest qualifying discount based on the customer’s cart total. As customers add more products, they’ll see their discount increase in real time, creating a compelling incentive to reach the next spending tier.

This approach works particularly well for holiday sales events, clearing seasonal inventory, giving sales a boost during slow periods, and incentivizing first-time customers to make larger initial purchases. 

Merchants often find that the sweet spot for their highest tier is approximately 20-30% above their current average order value, making it attainable while encouraging customers to spend more than they typically would.

Benefits of using total order discounts in WooCommerce

• Increased Average Order Value (AOV): When customers see they need to spend just a bit more to qualify for a discount, they often add extra items to their cart. This spending threshold psychology effectively turns $90 purchases into $100+ transactions as shoppers aim to unlock savings.
• Reduced cart abandonment: Customers who might otherwise leave at checkout often complete their purchase when they see an automatic discount applied. This added value at the decision-making moment can be the difference between a lost sale and a completed order.
• Improved customer experience: According to the peak-end rule in psychology, people primarily remember the high points and endings of experiences. A discount applied at checkout creates a positive final impression, leaving customers with good feelings about their shopping experience.
• Customer loyalty development: With role-based discounts, you can create special pricing for returning customers. This rewards loyalty and encourages repeat business by making customers feel valued and recognized.
• New customer acquisition: Compelling first-purchase discounts attract new buyers to your store. These initial discounts often pay for themselves through the lifetime value of new customers who return for future purchases.
• Improved product discovery: As shoppers browse to add more items to reach discount thresholds, they explore products they might otherwise miss. This leads to broader catalog exposure and can result in customers finding items they’ll purchase repeatedly in the future.

Best practices for implementing storewide discounts

Timing and duration

• Set clear start and end dates for your sales to create urgency. When customers know a discount is temporary, they’re more likely to act quickly.
• Schedule sales during peak shopping periods or seasonal events when buyers are already in a purchasing mindset.
• Consider using time-limited flash sales to drive immediate action. A 24-hour sale often generates more excitement than a month-long promotion.

Technical setup

• Use a dedicated discount management plugin for easier administration rather than trying to manage discounts manually.
• Test all discount rules thoroughly before making them live, and create test orders with different scenarios to confirm discounts apply correctly.
• Ensure proper configuration of discount conditions and rules to avoid unexpected discount combinations.
• Consider how discount plugins interact with other plugins/themes in your WooCommerce setup.
• Check compatibility with payment gateways to make sure discounts appear correctly throughout the checkout process.

Discount structure

• Keep discount rules simple and easy for customers to understand. Complex conditions may confuse shoppers.
• Set reasonable minimum purchase requirements if using cart total discounts. A threshold that’s too high will discourage rather than motivate.
• Consider excluding certain products or categories if needed, particularly for already-discounted merchandise.

Communication

• Display savings clearly at checkout to highlight the value customers are receiving.
• Communicate discount terms transparently so customers know exactly what they’re getting.
• Consider offering exclusive discounts to email subscribers or loyalty program members to build your marketing list.

Performance tracking

• Monitor the impact of discounts on overall sales volume to determine ROI.
• Track the average order value during promotional periods compared to regular periods.
• Analyze which discount types perform best with your customer base to refine future offers.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Over-discounting and damaging your profit margins, so calculate the financial impact beforehand.
• Creating conflicting discount rules that might combine in unexpected ways.
• Neglecting mobile user experience when designing discount notifications.
• Failing to test edge cases like partial refunds or coupon combinations.

Launch your automated discounts today

Total order discounts transform shopping behavior by encouraging customers to reach spending thresholds. When shoppers see they’re just $10 away from saving money, they frequently add more items to their cart, increasing your average order value and conversion rates.

The true power of WooCommerce Discounts lies in its set-it-and-forget-it approach. Configure your conditional rules once, whether based on spending thresholds, customer roles, or product categories, and they’ll apply automatically to all future qualifying orders without any additional work.

Automatic discounts dramatically improve user experience compared to traditional coupon codes. No more customer frustration from searching for, copying, pasting, or misspelling coupon codes. Instead, they get the satisfaction of seeing discounts apply instantly as they shop. Add discounts to total orders in your store today with WooCommerce Discounts!