Getting Started with Create Shopping Cart Price Rules

Why This Tutorial Matters

Note on terminology: In the Magento Admin, this feature is labeled Cart Price Rules. You'll find it under Marketing > Promotions > Cart Price Rules.

Business Impact:

  • Cart Price Rules let you run targeted promotions at checkout—boosting conversion, increasing average order value (AOV), and moving inventory without changing product prices.
  • Use threshold discounts to lift AOV (for example, $20 off $150), sitewide codes to drive conversion, and SKU/category conditions to clear inventory.
  • Control margin by scoping rules to specific websites, customer groups, and by preventing discount stacking.

What You'll Achieve:

  • Create, schedule, and QA a working cart-level discount with a coupon code.
  • Control stacking behavior using Priority and Stop Further Rules Processing.
  • Generate unique coupon codes for campaigns and measure coupon performance.

Learning Journey Overview

Your Situation

  • You need a reliable way to launch cart-level promotions (with or without coupon codes) and verify they work across your websites and customer groups.

What You'll Learn

By completing this tutorial, you will:

  • Navigate to Marketing > Promotions > Cart Price Rules
  • Configure Rule Information (websites, customer groups, coupon settings, dates, priority)
  • Define Conditions and Actions (Apply types, Free Shipping, Apply to Shipping Amount)
  • Add Labels for storefront clarity
  • Generate and test coupon codes
  • Control rule stacking with Priority and Stop Further Rules Processing
  • Validate results on storefront and in reports

Success Criteria

You'll know you've succeeded when:

  • A test coupon applies the expected discount in the cart and checkout
  • The discount label displays correctly
  • The promotion is restricted to the intended website and customer groups
  • The rule does not stack with lower-priority discounts when configured to stop further processing
  • Coupon usage appears in Reports > Sales > Coupons

Time Investment

  • Estimated time: 9 minutes
  • Skill level after completion: Intermediate
  • Business value unlock: Launch margin-safe promotions that increase conversion and AOV, with measurable results via coupon reports

Before We Start

Who This Is For

This tutorial is designed for:

  • Merchants, Ecommerce Managers, and Marketers who run promotions
  • Store Admins configuring discounts for one or more websites/store views

What You Need

Make sure you have:

  • Magento 2.4.x Admin access with Marketing and Sales permissions
  • At least one website and customer group to target
  • A test product and a test customer account
  • A staging environment to test before production (recommended)

Preparation Checklist

Before starting, complete these preparation steps:

  • Decide the promotion goal (for example, 10% off orders over $100)
  • Determine target customer groups and websites
  • Choose coupon type: single code or auto-generated unique codes
  • Set start/end dates and time zone
  • Decide stacking behavior and rule priority

Note: This tutorial applies to Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce 2.4.x. Field labels may vary slightly across minor versions (for example, Stop Further Rules Processing vs Discard Subsequent Rules).

Step-by-Step Learning Path

  1. Navigate to the rule creation screen
  • Admin sidebar > Marketing > Promotions > Cart Price Rules > Add New Rule
  1. Rule Information
  • Rule Name: Summer 10% over $100
  • Description: 10% off subtotal over $100 with code SUMMER10
  • Active: Yes
  • Websites: Select target website(s)
  • Customer Groups: For example, NOT LOGGED IN, General (select as needed)
  • Coupon: Specific Coupon
  • Coupon Code: SUMMER10 (or set Use Auto Generation = Yes for bulk codes)
  • Uses per Coupon: e.g., 1000
  • Uses per Customer: 1
  • From/To: Set start and end dates
  • Priority: 1 (lower number = higher priority)
  1. Conditions (order-qualification logic)
  • Leave blank to apply to all carts, or add thresholds:
    • Click Add (+) > Subtotal > is equal or greater than > 100
  1. Actions (how the discount applies)
  • Apply: Percent of product price discount
  • Discount Amount: 10
  • Maximum Qty Discount is Applied To: [blank or a number]
  • Discount Qty Step (Buy X): [blank unless doing Buy X Get Y]
  • Apply to Shipping Amount: No (set to Yes if the discount should include shipping)
  • Free Shipping: No (or select For matching items only, if applicable)
  • Apply the rule only to cart items matching the following conditions: [leave blank unless restricting to specific SKUs/categories]
  • Stop Further Rules Processing (may appear as Discard Subsequent Rules): Yes if you want to prevent other lower-priority rules from applying
  1. Labels (storefront text)
  • Default Rule Label for All Store Views: Summer 10% Off
  • Per Store View Labels: Optional, if you need localized or tailored text
  1. Save the rule
  • Click Save. The rule activates within the configured date range and scope.
  1. Generate multiple coupons (optional)
  • If Use Auto Generation = Yes: After saving, a Manage Coupon Codes tab appears. Open it, set Quantity, Code Length, and Format, then Generate and Export.
  • Note: The Manage Coupon Codes tab appears only after the rule is saved with Use Auto Generation enabled.
  1. Test on the storefront
  • Add qualifying products to the cart
  • Apply the coupon SUMMER10
  • Verify the discount amount and the label on the Cart and Checkout totals
  1. Verify reporting
  • Go to Reports > Sales > Coupons to confirm coupon usage after placing a test order

Practice and Reinforcement

Now that you've learned the core process, let's reinforce your skills:

  • Create a Buy X Get Y rule: Buy 2, get 1 free of the same SKU
    • Apply = Buy X get Y free (discount amount is Y), Discount Amount = 1, Discount Qty Step (Buy X) = 2
  • Create a fixed cart discount: $15 off orders over $150
    • Apply = Fixed amount discount for whole cart, Discount Amount = 15, add a Subtotal ≥ 150 condition
  • Generate 500 unique coupons and export them for an email campaign

What You've Accomplished

🎉 Congratulations! You have successfully:

  • Created and activated a Cart Price Rule with a coupon code
  • Configured conditions, actions, and labels
  • Controlled stacking via priority and Stop Further Rules Processing
  • Tested the promotion end-to-end and verified reporting

Business Impact

  • You can now launch targeted, margin-safe promotions that increase conversion and AOV, and use reporting to quantify performance.

Skills Gained

You now have the ability to:

  • Configure Cart Price Rules end-to-end, including coupon generation
  • Scope promotions to websites and customer groups
  • Prevent unintended discount stacking to protect margin
  • Validate and measure promo performance in the Admin

Next Steps in Your Journey

Now that you've mastered this process, here's how to build on your success:

Immediate Actions

  • Launch a welcome coupon for new subscribers (single code, 10% off). Measure redemptions weekly in Reports > Sales > Coupons.
  • Run a weekend threshold promotion ($20 off $150) with Stop Further Rules Processing to protect margins.
  • Export 1,000 unique coupons for paid ads; track code-specific ROI and attribute redemptions to campaigns.

Level Up Your Skills

  • Localize labels per store view for international sites
  • Use conditions to include/exclude categories or SKUs to move specific inventory
  • Combine with customer groups to reward logged-in or VIP customers only

Advanced Applications

  • Offer free shipping for specific items or thresholds via Actions > Free Shipping
  • Build Buy X Get Y cross-sell bundles by restricting Actions to matching items
  • Run multi-website A/B tests by cloning rules with different labels, codes, or thresholds, then compare coupon performance

When Things Don't Go as Expected

Even experienced merchants encounter challenges. Here's how to handle common situations:

  • Coupon not applying: Verify Active = Yes, date range, website, and customer groups. Confirm Uses per Coupon/Customer not exceeded. Ensure Conditions evaluate to true (Subtotal vs including shipping/tax). If using specific item conditions, confirm products match attributes.
  • Wrong discount amount: Check Apply type (Percent vs Fixed) and tax settings (Stores > Configuration > Sales > Tax > Calculation Settings > Apply Discount on Prices). Apply to Shipping Amount changes the base for the discount.
  • Multiple discounts stacking: Increase Priority (lower number executes first) and enable Stop Further Rules Processing (or Discard Subsequent Rules) on the high-value promo.
  • Free shipping not triggered: In Actions, set Free Shipping appropriately and ensure your shipping methods allow free shipping when flagged.
  • Auto-generated coupons tab missing: Save the rule with Use Auto Generation = Yes to reveal Manage Coupon Codes.
  • Scope issues on multi-website: Confirm Websites selection matches the store you test on and that you are testing in the correct storefront.
  • Testing tips: Clear/refresh the cart, re-add items, and sign in/out as needed. If storefront labels don't update, refresh caches.

Continue Learning

  • Catalog Price Rules vs Cart Price Rules: when to use each
  • Customer Segmentation (Adobe Commerce) to target high-value shoppers

How-To Guides

  • Reporting: Sales by Coupon and Sales reports to measure promo performance
  • Abandoned cart follow-ups using coupons

Reference Materials

  • Admin paths: Marketing > Promotions > Cart Price Rules; Reports > Sales > Coupons
  • Notes on labels: Stop Further Rules Processing may appear as Discard Subsequent Rules in some versions

Summary

You created a cart-level promotion, controlled who sees it and when, prevented unintended stacking, and verified performance with reports. These steps are the foundation for reliable, margin-aware promotional campaigns.

Key Takeaways

  • Cart Price Rules drive conversion and AOV without changing list prices
  • Priority and Stop Further Rules Processing prevent double-discounting
  • Coupon reports provide measurable ROI for your campaigns

Remember

  • Test in a staging environment first
  • Align dates/time zone, scope, and customer groups before launch
  • Document your rule naming, labeling, and priorities for team consistency
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