Manage coupon addition and redemption functions within a Miva Merchant 2.2x, 3.x or 4.x storefront with this plugin module. License is for ONE mall. Within that single mall, it can be used in multiple stores without additional license.
You can add coupons through the standard Miva Merchant admin interface and include usage criteria.
- An unlimited number of coupons can be assigned to the store and each identified with a coupon code. Once you have added the module to the store, you can add coupons in the Order Fulfillment section of the admin interface. When you select the Add icon, you will have several input fields to fill in. You must enter a unique code for your coupon. This is the code that you will give to customers so they can shop and redeem the coupon. It can be any combination of letters and/or numbers.
- An optional expiration date can be included which will prevent its use if the date has passed. Enter it in the year, month, day format, eg. 20000724 would be July 24, 2000. If you leave this field blank the coupon will never expire. However, you can still delete it manually through the admin interface.
- A fixed value OR percentage off the order total is assigned to each coupon. The default is fixed value, eg $5.00 off the order total. If you put the % sign in the next input field AFTER the value field, it will calculate the coupon value based on the assigned percent of the order total. The %, if used, is entered in the separate field to the right for that purpose. If left blank, the calculation will be based on the fixed value of the coupon. See the note below about restricting discount calculations to specific products instead of the order total.
 A maximum redemption value can be assigned to each coupon in Merchant 4.0. - Optionally, a coupon can be allowed only when an order total reaches a specific amount. For example, you can give a 10% discount when the order total reaches $200. In all cases where a raw value is used, you must make this value equal to or greater than the value of the coupon. If you use the percent calculation, this value can be any value, including zero.
- Based on your state's tax requirements, the coupon can be designated to reduce the sales tax or not reduce it. The coupon's tax effect is on the order total, not on individual products. For example, in some states, a store coupon reduces the cumulative value of products purchased before the sales tax is applied, hence you would want it to reduce tax. The exception to doing this is if your products are likely to be non-taxable, making a coupon reduce tax could result in a negative tax calculation. Another type coupon might be the manufacturer coupon. In some states, manufacturer coupons do not decrease the tax liability. You should determine your state's tax requirements before adding coupons to your store.
- Coupons can either be used:
- multiple times - The coupon can be used at every visit by any customer who shops at your store. This is usually used as a promo to customers, user lists, clubs, etc. They often have a short expiration date to limit their use. A typical usage might be a special holiday sale, eg 10% off everything in the store if used by a specified date. This would eliminate the need for special price groups if the intent is that everybody who has the coupon code can use it.
- only one time for each customer - The coupon can only be used for one visit per customer. When the same customer shops at your store a second time, if he/she uses the same coupon code, it will be rejected. This is probably the most common coupon and is usually used in print ads or as a promo, eg. "$5.00 off on your next visit".
- only one time for a unique coupon code - The coupon can only be used once. Once any customer has used this code, it becomes unavailable for any other purchase. This is often used as a customer relations tool, eg "sorry for the inconvenience, please accept this coupon.....".
- You can restrict usage of a coupon in your store so that it can be used only if a specific product is ordered. You can list several product codes, any of which in the basket would make the coupon valid if the other requirements are met. Leaving the product code blank means that customers do not have to order a specific product as long as they meet the other requirements the store owner has specified. If you check the box to the left of the product code list, and are using the percentage discount, only those products in the code list will be used in the calculation using the qualifying products subtotal. If you do not check the box, the percentage discount will be applied against the order total. In Merchant 4.0, you can use a wildcard for the product list, e.g. 1AA* would make all products beginning with 1AA eligible for the coupon discount.
- Appropriate error messages are displayed when coupons don't meet the usage criteria established by the store owner. When the shopper enters a coupon code at checkout that is not valid based on the criteria you establish, he/she will see an error message just below the coupon code input when the checkout form is re-displayed.
- In admin, the coupons can be easily displayed and edited. The coupons are displayed in a table format with configurable number of coupons per page displayed. The entire coupon database is searchable by coupon code or portion of the coupon code.
- Expired coupons can be removed from the database (to cut down on disk usage) one at a time or in mass. In admin, you can either put a check in the remove column and select update or select purge expired coupons, then select update.
- A historical database, which can be imported and analyzed in database or spreadsheet software, is maintained on all coupons used. The couponuz.dbf can be FTPd to your PC for further analysis in MS Access, MS Excel, or other data management software. This could be useful in determining which coupons bring you the most activity. The number of uses for each coupon is displayed in the admin table in Merchant 4.0.
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 Online overview, initial setup instructions, module configuration help and editing instructions. This module is also in the COMBO package. Purchase the COMBO package and save dollars.
| Screen shot shows adding coupons through the Merchant admin interface |
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