The Directorist – Coupon extension lets you create discount coupons that listing owners can redeem at checkout when purchasing a pricing plan. You create coupons from the WordPress admin, and buyers apply them on the checkout page before completing their purchase.
Prerequisites #
If you want to create a Fixed product discount coupon (a coupon that only applies to specific pricing plans), you need the Directorist – Pricing Plans extension active, since that’s where the list of plans to choose from comes from. Percentage discount and Fixed cart discount coupons don’t require it.
Step 1 – Turn on the Coupon extension #
Path: WP Admin → Directorist → Directorist Settings → Extension Settings → Extensions General
- Find the Enable Coupon option.
- Make sure it is switched On. This is on by default, so in most cases you won’t need to change anything here.
- Click Save.
For Admins: Creating a Coupon #
Step 1 – Start a new coupon #
- Go to Directorist Listings → Coupons → Add New Coupon.
- Enter a title for the coupon in the title field. This is for your own reference and isn’t shown to buyers.
Step 2 – Fill in the Coupon Details box #
- Enter a Coupon Description. This is an internal note describing the coupon.
- Enter a Coupon Code, or click Generate coupon code to have one created automatically. This is the code buyers will type in at checkout.
- Set Select Coupon Type to one of the following:
- Percentage discount – takes a percentage off the checkout total.
- Fixed cart discount – takes a flat amount off the checkout total.
- Fixed product discount – takes a flat amount off, but only when the buyer is purchasing one of the specific pricing plans you select.
- If you chose Fixed product discount, check the box next to each pricing plan the coupon should apply to under Select Products. This list only appears if the Directorist – Pricing Plans extension is active and has at least one plan created; otherwise you’ll see a message asking you to install that extension instead.
- Enter the Coupon Amount. For a percentage discount, enter the percentage number (for example, 10 for 10%). For a fixed cart or fixed product discount, enter the flat amount to take off.
- Set an Expiry Date. Once this date passes, the coupon can no longer be applied.
- Set the Usage Limit Per User. This caps how many times the same buyer can use this coupon, based on their past orders. It defaults to 1.
Step 3 – Publish the coupon #
Click Publish. Once published, a Shortcode box appears at the bottom of the Coupon Details section, showing the shortcode for this specific coupon (for example [directorist_coupons id=123]), along with a PHP version of the same shortcode for use inside template files. Use either version if you want to display this coupon somewhere on your site outside of the checkout flow.
A coupon only works if it has been published, has a coupon amount greater than 0, and hasn’t passed its expiry date.
For Buyers: Redeeming a Coupon at Checkout #
Step 1 – Enter the coupon code #
On the pricing plan checkout page, buyers see a Got a coupon? Redeem it here. section above the checkout summary.
- Type the coupon code into the field.
- Click Apply Coupon.
Step 2 – What happens after applying #
If the code is valid, the discount is applied to the checkout total and a success message appears. If the code can’t be applied, a message explains why: the code is missing, doesn’t exist, has expired, doesn’t apply to the plan being purchased, or the buyer has already used it as many times as the Usage Limit Per User allows.
How discounts are calculated #
- Percentage discount – the coupon amount is treated as a percentage of the checkout total.
- Fixed cart discount – the coupon amount is subtracted directly from the checkout total. If the coupon amount is larger than the total, the discount is capped at the total (the order can’t go below zero).
- Fixed product discount – works the same as a fixed cart discount, but only applies if the plan being purchased is one of the plans selected under Select Products when the coupon was created. If it isn’t, the coupon is rejected.
Usage limits #
The Usage Limit Per User is checked against each buyer’s past orders that used that specific coupon code. It is per user, not a total limit across all buyers, so two different buyers each get their own count toward the limit.
