Discounting is perhaps one of the strongest sales, conversion, and loyalty drivers available to e-commerce. Magento, as capable and adaptable rule-based discount engine that it is, makes it possible for store owners to introduce offers that automatically get applied under some condition—no need for human intervention.
In this full guide, we’re going to take you step-by-step through creating and running discount rules in Magento 2, including the complete treatment of both Catalog Price Rules and Cart Price Rules. We’ll also provide you with optimization tips, testing, and best practice advice to maximize use of Magento’s promotion tools.
Discount Rule Types in Magento
Magento contains two primary types of discount rules:
Catalog Price Rules: Applied directly on product prices before the product is added to the cart. Best suited for store-wide or category-wide discounting that is displayed on product pages.
Cart Price Rules: Applied during checkout, after certain conditions are fulfilled (e.g., cart total, quantity of items, or after a promo code is entered). Best suited for dynamic offers such as “Buy X, Get Y” or “10% off orders over $100.”
Creating Catalog Price Rules in Magento
Catalog rules are perfect for promotions that appear directly on product pages. Here’s how to do it:
1 Step : Navigate to Marketing > Promotions > Catalog Price Rules
This page shows active rules or allows you to create a new one.
2 Step: Add New Rule and Basic Info
- Rule Name: Descriptive name, e.g., “Summer Clearance 10% Off”
- Status: To Active
- Customer Groups: Select relevant groups (e.g., General, Wholesale)
- From/To Date: Set promotion date range
- Priority: Rules application order when several rules are active
3 Step : Rule Conditions
Specify the products which must qualify. You can specify conditions as follows:
- Category = “T-Shirts”
- Price > $50
- Attribute Set = “Men’s Apparel”
4 Step : Define Discount Action
On Actions tab:
- Apply: Select discount type (By Percentage, Fixed, To Percentage, To Fixed)
- Discount Amount: Enter a number, e.g., 10 for 10%
Select to stop further processing of the rules
5 Step : Save and Apply Rule
Save, then Apply Rules to enable price changes on eligible products.
Setting Up Cart Price Rules in Magento
Cart rules are completely editable and fire during checkout. You can have them appear only after entering a coupon code or apply automatically.
Step 1:
Go to Marketing > Promotions > Cart Price Rules
Click “Add New Rule.”
Step 2:
Fill out General Rule Information
- Rule Name
- Active/Inactive Status
- Coupon Type: Choose No Coupon, Specific Coupon, or Auto-generated
- Uses per Customer / Per Coupon
- Customer Groups and Date Range
Step 3:
Set Conditions (Optional)
- You can place conditions on:
- Cart Subtotal > $100
- Customer Group = Wholesale
- Product SKU or attribute
- Number of items in cart
These conditions provide you with good control on applying promotions.
Step 4:
Define Actions
Under the Actions tab:
- Apply: Choose the type of discount (e.g., fixed, percentage, buy X get Y)
- Discount Amount: Enter value
Select to apply on shipping or prevent further rules from being processed
Step 5:
Add Coupon Labels (Optional)
From the Labels tab, add a short description customer-visible in the frontend (e.g., “Black Friday 25% Off”).
Step 6:
Save and Test the Rule
After completing all the above, Save the rule and test it on your store.
Advanced Tips for Discount Rules
Combine with Cart Conditions: Create targeted offers like “10% off for orders over $150 with a minimum of 2 products from the Electronics category.”
- Use Auto-generated Coupons: Ideal for time-sensitive email promotions.
- Restrict by Store View or Website: Perform geo-specific promotions within multi-store environments.
- Discount Bundling with Free Shipping: Enhance the sale and increase conversion.
Managing and Testing Discount Rules
Prior to enabling rules site-wide:
- Test different cart scenarios through a staging environment
- Test rule stacking behavior with priority settings
- Test customer group assignment to ensure rules are doing what you want them to do
- Be careful with performance – too many sneaky rules will slow down the server
Magento allows you to turn discount rules on or off, or modify them at whim. Keep an eye on your rules for conflicts or expired promotions by reviewing them periodically.
Best Practices for Discount Campaigns
- Descriptive Rule Names: Enables easy identification and maintenance of campaigns over the long term
- Scheduled Activation: Schedule promotions to activate at midnight automatically without any user interaction
- Customer Segmentation: Offer different discounts for retail, wholesale, or VIP segments
- Expiration Management: Ensure dates end correctly so that expired offers cannot be redeemed
Magento’s native discount rule system is a powerful promotional tool for generating revenue and serving up targeted promotions to customers. Whether you need to implement a straightforward 10% sitewide discount or an intricate cart-level promotion, Magento provides you with the ability to do so with exactness.
Using both Catalog Price Rules and Cart Price Rules, and as best practices recommend, you can enhance promotions, enhance the shopping experience, and maximize conversions—without writing a single line of code.
