A promo code is a discount with rules, for the people you choose to give it to. Customers type it when they book online, or your team applies it when taking payment. Every use is counted, so you always know what a code cost you and what it brought in.
Create one
Open Growth, then Promotions, and create a new offer with the Promo code type. The code itself can be anything customers can type - or use the generator, which avoids letters that misread over a counter. Your rules:
- The discount: a percentage or a dollar amount, off everything or only chosen services.
- Dates: a start and an expiry, both optional.
- Total uses: a cap across all customers, optional.
- Uses per customer: once each, unless you raise it.
- Minimum spend: the code only works when the bill reaches this amount.
- Who can use it: anyone, new customers only (first visit), or hand-picked - type names, or add a whole group or segment in one go. A hand-picked code refuses anyone off its list, online and at the desk. You can also select customers on the Customers page and hit Create promo code to start from the selection.
Where customers use it
- Online: a quiet "Have a promo code?" line at checkout. A working code shows the discount immediately, the deposit is calculated on the discounted total, and the receipt shows full price, code, and what was paid. A code that doesn't apply says why, plainly.
- At the desk: when taking payment, the discount control has a Code mode - type it, and the system answers with the discount or the reason it doesn't apply. A booking that already used a code online arrives at payment with the code pre-applied - it's never accidentally applied twice.
If a customer cancels, their code use is handed back and works again on the rebooking. A no-show keeps the use.
Codes that work for you
- Announce it: one tap writes an email or SMS campaign around the code. The code rides as a fill-in field, so it's never mistyped - and announcing a hand-picked code goes exactly to its people.
- Win-backs: the "We miss you" automation can carry a code, giving a lapsed customer a reason to rebook, not just a hello.
- The numbers: every use lands in the Promotions report.
FAQs
Can a customer use a code during a sale?
Yes. The sale price is the price, and one code (or a friend's referral - whichever saves more, never both) comes off on top of it. The receipt shows each step: full price, the sale, the code, and what was paid.
Why can't I type a code when creating a phone booking?
By design, codes apply where money is settled: online checkout, or the desk at payment time. When you're booking someone in by phone, take the code at close-out instead - the discount control's Code mode is one tap away, and the receipt comes out right.