Shopify - Automatic discounts for customer segments

This post is here to share a workaround for a problem identified when working on a Shopify store recently.

I wanted to apply an automatic discount to any customer that was either signed into their account or was subscribed to the newsletter.

The purpose of this is to create a loyalty club on the store, and so all customers segmented with the tag “Loyalty Club” would receive the automatic discount.

Unfortunately…

Shopify out the box does not provide the ability to automatically apply a discount to a customer segment group, at the time of writing this functionality is limited to discount codes only.

Let me briefly explain the difference.

Discount Code vs. Automatic Discount:

Shopify allows for two different methods to apply a discount, Discount codes and Automatic Discounts.

Discount Code: Customer must manually enter a code at checkout.

Automatic Discount: Applied without customer input, but only one automatic discount can be active at a time.

What is a Shopify discount code?

A Shopify discount code is a promotional code created by Shopify store owners to offer customers a discount on their purchases. These codes can be applied during checkout to reduce the total cost of an order. Discount codes can offer various types of promotions, such as:

Percentage Discounts: e.g., 10% off your order.
Fixed Amount Discounts: e.g., £20 off a purchase.
Free Shipping: Waives shipping costs, sometimes with a minimum purchase requirement.
Buy One, Get One (BOGO): e.g., Buy one, get one 50% off or Buy two, get one free.

Store owners can set conditions for discount codes, such as minimum order values, product-specific discounts, usage limits, and expiration dates and most importantly for this post limit a code to a customer segment.

What is a Shopify automatic discount?

An automatic discount in Shopify is a type of promotion that is applied automatically at checkout without the need for a discount code. When a customer’s cart meets the specified conditions, the discount is automatically applied, creating a seamless and hassle-free shopping experience.

Types of Automatic Discounts:

Percentage Discounts: e.g., 20% off when spending over £100.
Fixed Amount Discounts: e.g., £10 off specific products.
Buy X Get Y Discounts (BOGO): e.g., Buy 2, Get 1 Free.

Setting Conditions:

Minimum Purchase Requirements: e.g., Spend £50 to get 10% off.
Product or Collection Specific: e.g., Discount applies only to items in the “Summer Sale” collection.
Customer Eligibility: e.g., First-time customers only.
Usage Limit: Limit to one automatic discount per order.

What is a customer segment ?

A customer segment in Shopify is a dynamic group of customers who meet specific criteria based on their behaviours, attributes, or purchase history. Customer segments help store owners target marketing campaigns, create personalized experiences, and analyse customer behaviour effectively.

Here’s the solution…

How to apply an automatic discount to a Shopify segment

Edit your themes code

Create a new snippet in the ‘snippets’ directory, i called mine automatic-customer-discount.liquid

{% assign discount_customer_tag = 'Loyalty Club' %}
{% assign discount_code = 'Loyalty Club Discount' %}

{% if customer.tags contains discount_customer_tag %}
  <script>
    window.addEventListener('load', function() {
      fetch("/discount/{{ discount_code }}")
    })
  </script>
{% endif %}

in the file theme.liquid in the ‘layout’ folder add the following before the closing body tag

    {% render 'automatic-customer-discount' %}   
  </body>

Credit to the following Linkedin post for the solution https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-offer-automatic-discounts-specific-customers-shopify-dematis-tdr1f/

And with the code added to my Shopify theme, it all worked.

If you would like to see the solution working on a live site then head on over to my store -> SLV Clothing.

You’ll need to sign up to the SLV newsletter and add an item to your basket. Then when you check out the discount will be automatically applied.

P.S I personally recommend the Black Edition hoodie. The soft, smooth feel combined with the quality embroidery make it a hoodie you’ll want to snuggle into all day.

Shopify – Automatic discounts for customer segments