Create percentage or fixed-amount discount codes, set expiry dates and usage limits, apply them to specific products or your entire store, and track every redemption.
A well-timed discount code turns a browsing visitor into a paying customer. A badly configured one eats into margin without driving incremental sales. This guide walks through creating every type of discount UniLink supports — codes, automatic sales, product-specific and store-wide — along with the settings that control how broadly and for how long each discount runs. By the end you'll know exactly which levers to pull for a launch sale versus a loyalty reward versus a one-time coupon for a collaborator.
What Discounts Does
The Discounts feature lets you reduce the price a customer pays at checkout without changing the listed price of your product. Discounts can be percentage-based ("20% off") or fixed-amount ("$10 off"), and they can be applied by the customer using a promo code at checkout or triggered automatically when a product is on sale. The two modes serve different purposes: codes are for targeted promotions and sharing with specific audiences, automatic sales are for time-limited price drops visible to everyone on your page.
Discounts apply either to specific products (great for product launches or clearing inventory) or to your entire store (best for sitewide sales events). You can also restrict a code to first-time buyers only, preventing existing customers from stacking discounts on repeat purchases. Usage limits let you cap how many times a code can be redeemed — useful for "first 50 customers get 30% off" offers without manual monitoring.
Every discount code has a full redemption log. UniLink records who used the code, which product they bought, the original price, the discount applied, and the final transaction amount. This data is available in the Discounts Analytics tab and exportable as CSV for campaign performance tracking or accounting.
How to Get Started With Discounts
- Open Discounts — In Dashboard go to Store → Discounts. You'll see any existing discount codes and an overview of redemption activity. If you haven't created any yet the list will be empty.
- Click Create Discount — Choose between Promo Code (customer enters a code at checkout) or Automatic Discount (applies to listed products automatically, no code needed).
- Set discount type and value — Choose Percentage (e.g., 25%) or Fixed Amount (e.g., $15 off). Enter the value. For percentage discounts note that the percentage applies to the product's listed price, not a previously discounted price — so stacking isn't possible by default.
- Name or generate the code — For promo codes, type a memorable code (e.g., LAUNCH25) or click "Generate" for a random alphanumeric string. Codes are case-insensitive at checkout so customers don't need to type in all-caps.
- Set scope and limits — Select which products the discount applies to, set an expiry date, and set a maximum redemption count. Then save. The discount is now active and usable.
How to Use Discounts
- Apply to specific products — Under the discount's Applies To setting, click "Select products" and check each product individually. This is the right choice for a launch promotion on one digital product or a seasonal sale on a course — other products stay full price.
- Apply to entire store — Select "All products" in the Applies To field. Every product in your UniLink store will accept this code or show the automatic discount at checkout. Use this for sitewide events (Black Friday, anniversary sale).
- Set expiry date — Click the Expiry Date field and choose a date and time in your local timezone. Once the expiry passes the code stops working automatically — you don't need to manually deactivate it. Leave expiry blank for a permanent code.
- Set usage limit — Enable "Limit total uses" and enter a number (e.g., 100). Once 100 redemptions are recorded, the code deactivates automatically. Enable "One use per customer" to prevent the same person from using a code twice regardless of total limit.
- Create a first-order discount — Enable the "First-time buyers only" toggle. Returning customers who have made any previous purchase from your store will see a "code not valid for your account" message. New customers get the discount seamlessly.
- Track redemptions — Go to Discounts → [code name] → Analytics. You'll see total uses, revenue generated (before discount), revenue after discount, and average order value with the code applied versus without. Use this to evaluate whether the discount drove real incremental sales or just discounted buyers who would have paid full price.
Key Settings Explained
| Setting | What it controls | Best practice |
|---|---|---|
| Discount type | Percentage off or fixed dollar/euro amount | Use percentage for high-priced products ($50+); use fixed amount for lower-priced products where a dollar value feels more concrete |
| Applies to | Specific products or entire store | Default to specific products — sitewide discounts reduce margin on products that weren't struggling to sell |
| Expiry date | Date and time the code stops being accepted | Always set an expiry for launch codes — unlimited codes shared publicly will be used long after the campaign ends |
| Usage limit | Total number of redemptions before code deactivates | Set a usage cap on exclusive codes (affiliate, influencer) to control exposure; leave unlimited for general newsletter codes |
| First-time buyers only | Restricts code to customers with no prior purchases | Use for acquisition campaigns — prevents your loyal base from stacking a "new customer" offer |
How to Get the Most Out of Discounts
The most effective discount codes are time-boxed and exclusive-feeling. "20% off this weekend only" outperforms "20% off always" by a wide margin because urgency converts hesitating visitors. Set a clear 48–72 hour expiry window on launch and event codes, announce the expiry in your caption, and let scarcity do the work. You can always create a new code after the expiry for another campaign — the old code going dead doesn't affect your store.
Fixed-amount discounts work better on lower-priced items because they feel more concrete. "$10 off a $30 course" is psychologically stronger than "33% off a $30 course" — even though the math is identical. For products priced above $100, percentage discounts feel more significant ("25% off" on a $200 product is a $50 saving that sounds bigger than "$50 off"). Match your discount type to your price point.
Influencer and affiliate codes deserve individual tracking. When you give a collaborator a unique code you can see exactly how many sales they drove, which products moved, and what the net revenue was after their discount. This makes affiliate relationship management data-driven — you stop relying on self-reported metrics and start paying based on what actually converted. UniLink's per-code analytics make this possible without a third-party affiliate tool.
Avoid stacking discount codes if possible. By default UniLink does not allow multiple codes per order, which protects your margin. If a customer tries to apply a second code at checkout, they see an error. This is intentional and you shouldn't override it unless you have a specific bundle-pricing reason to allow stacking.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Customer says code doesn't work | Code expired, usage limit reached, or customer already used it | Check Discounts → [code] → Redemptions to confirm status; if the customer is eligible, extend the expiry or create a new code for them |
| Discount applying to wrong products | "Applies to" was set to "All products" instead of specific selection | Edit the discount, change Applies To to "Select products," uncheck unintended products, save — active carts are not affected but new checkouts use the updated scope |
| Code redeemed more times than the limit set | Usage limit was not saved correctly, or limit was set on a duplicate code | Check the limit field on the active code in Discounts — if it shows unlimited, re-enter the limit and save; deactivate any duplicate codes with the same name |
| Automatic discount not showing at checkout | Automatic discount is inactive or product is not in scope | Verify the discount status is Active and the product being purchased is in the Applies To list; automatic discounts require the product to match exactly |
Pros
- Per-channel tracking via unique codes removes guesswork from campaign attribution
- Usage limits and expiry dates enforce scarcity automatically without manual oversight
- First-time buyer restriction protects acquisition campaigns from repeat-customer abuse
- Automatic discounts require no customer action — reduces checkout friction for sitewide sales
Cons
- Codes cannot stack by default — complex bundle pricing requires workarounds
- Fixed-amount codes applied to multi-item orders discount the first eligible item only, not each item
- Discount analytics are per-code — cross-campaign comparison requires manual export and spreadsheet work
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I create a discount that applies to a bundle of products?
UniLink discounts apply to individual products. To discount a bundle, create a Bundle product in your store with the combined price already set, then apply the discount to that specific bundle product. This way the discount targets the bundle, not each item separately.
Can customers apply a discount code after checkout?
No. Codes must be entered at checkout before the order is submitted. If a customer forgot to apply a code on a completed order, you can issue a partial refund manually equal to the discount amount via the Orders section — or note the code for their next purchase.
Do discount codes work on digital products and physical products?
Yes. Discount codes apply to any product type in your UniLink store: digital downloads, physical goods, courses, memberships, and services. The same code can cover mixed product types if set to "All products."
Can I set a minimum order value for a code?
Yes. Under discount settings enable "Minimum order amount" and enter a threshold (e.g., code only valid on orders over $50). This works for both percentage and fixed-amount codes. Useful for "spend $50, get $10 off" promotions.
Is there a limit to how many discount codes I can have?
There is no hard limit on the number of discount codes in your account. You can have hundreds of codes active simultaneously. Performance does not degrade with more codes — checkout validation happens in under 200ms regardless of how many codes exist.
Key Takeaways
- Create discounts at Store → Discounts — choose Promo Code for sharing manually or Automatic Discount for store-wide sales with no code needed.
- Always set an expiry date on launch and promotional codes — open-ended codes get used long after a campaign ends and erode margin indefinitely.
- Use one unique code per channel (email, Instagram, affiliate) to track which source actually drives conversions without UTM parameters.
- Enable "First-time buyers only" on acquisition codes to prevent loyal customers from using discounts intended for new audiences.
- Fixed-amount discounts perform better on lower-priced products; percentage discounts feel more impactful on high-priced items.
Ready to run your first promotion?
Create your first discount code in under two minutes and start turning your audience into customers with offers they can't ignore.
Get Started Free