The quick answer
With SuitePromotions enabled, go to Lists > Marketing > Promotions, click New Promotion, and pick a promotion type. For a percentage off the whole order, choose Discount on the Total Order Amount. Name it, choose how it combines with other promotions, leave This Promotion Can Be Automatically Applied unchecked so shoppers have to enter the code, and pick a Discount Item For Accounting. Set the eligibility (here a $300.00 minimum order amount) and the discount rate, then enter the code on the Coupon Codes subtab and save. Test it in the web store cart both below and above the minimum.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and company names are fictional. Use your own promotion, code, and amounts when following the steps.
Before you start
In this example, Larkspur Industrial Supply runs a web store called Larkspur Supply. For an autumn sale it wants 15% off any order of $300.00 or more, but only for shoppers who enter a code, so the offer can go to a mailing list without discounting every order. The merchandiser uses the Administrator role in NetSuite. The shopper, Dana Whitfield, is signed in to the store.
SuitePromotions has to be enabled: Setup > Company > Enable Features, Transactions subtab, Sales section. Auto-Apply Promotions is a separate feature, needed only for promotions applied without a code, so this walkthrough doesn't use it. You also need a discount item to post the discount to. Check its account and tax setup before you rely on it, because the discount posts through that item.
01. Check the cart first
In the web store, open the cart. It holds 1 TC-30 30 in Rolling Tool Chest at $124.00. The Order Summary shows SUBTOTAL 1 ITEM $124.00, the note Subtotal Does Not Include Shipping Or Tax, and a collapsed Have a Promo Code? section. No discount applies.
02. Start an order promotion
In NetSuite, go to Lists > Marketing > Promotions and click New Promotion. The New Promotion page lists five SuitePromotions types: Discount on items, Selected items at a fixed price, Discount on the Total Order Amount, Free Shipping, and Free item automatically added to cart. Labels can differ by release. Click Discount on the Total Order Amount. The Order Promotion form opens.
03. Set the name, stacking, and eligibility
In Name, enter Autumn Tool Event. In Description, enter 15% off orders of $300 or more.
Under Combination With Other Promotions, select Exclusive Promotion, so this code can't be combined with any other promotion. Combinable Promotion can stack with other promotions. Order Type Exclusive Promotion can't stack with other order promotions but can combine with item or shipping promotions, like free shipping over a set amount.
Leave This Promotion Can Be Automatically Applied unchecked. When it's checked, NetSuite and the web store apply the promotion whenever its conditions are met, with no code. In Discount Item For Accounting, select Promo Discount. This doesn't set the amount. It names the discount item, and so the account, that the discount posts to on the order.
Under What the customer needs to buy, select Spend A Minimum Order Amount Or Buy Specific Items, then check Minimum Order Amount. In the currency grid, enter 300.00 for US Dollar. Enter a minimum for each currency your website sells in. Minimum Order Amount and Specific Items are alternatives, so checking only Minimum Order Amount makes the order amount the only condition.
Under What the customer will get, enter 15 in Discount Rate and keep % selected. flat would make it a fixed amount off.
04. Set the coupon code and limits
On the Coupon Codes subtab, keep Coupon Code Type Multiple Uses and enter AUTUMN15 in Coupon Code. Multiple Uses is one code that many shoppers can use. Single Use codes are generated or imported so each one works once.
On the Audience subtab, keep Everyone. On Sales Channels, keep All Locations. On Usage Limits, keep Each Customer Can Use The Promotion set to Unlimited amount of times.
Click Save. The saved promotion opens with AUTUMN15 under the Promotion heading and an X beside Exclusive Promotion.
Further down, the saved rule shows the US Dollar minimum of 300.00, Discount Rate 15.0%, and the Multiple Uses code AUTUMN15.
05. Apply the code below the minimum
Back in the web store cart, open Have a Promo Code?, type autumn15, and click Apply. In this store the lowercase code was accepted.
The cart shows "Promotion AUTUMN15 is not discounting your order. A minimum order amount of $300.00 is required to use this coupon code." The Order Summary still shows SUBTOTAL 1 ITEM $124.00, now with Promo: AUTUMN15 and a warning icon. There's no Discount Total, because $124.00 is below the $300.00 minimum.
06. Raise the order past the minimum
Change the tool chest's Quantity from 1 to 3. The line Amount becomes $372.00, and the message changes to "Promotion AUTUMN15 is now discounting your order." The Order Summary shows SUBTOTAL 3 ITEMS $372.00, Promo: AUTUMN15, and Discount Total $55.80, which is 15% of $372.00. The shopper didn't have to enter the code again.
The minimum is compared with the order subtotal before shipping and tax, and an order qualifies at the minimum or above.
07. Confirm the discount at checkout
Click Proceed to Checkout. The checkout Summary shows SUBTOTAL 3 ITEMS $372.00, Promo: AUTUMN15, Discount Total $55.80, Shipping $12.00, Tax $22.92, and TOTAL $351.12. That's the $372.00 subtotal less the $55.80 discount, plus shipping and tax. The order promotion's percentage applies to the item subtotal only; it doesn't discount shipping or tax. The shipping and tax amounts here are this example's; yours depend on your tax setup and the shopper's address.
Check the result
- The saved promotion shows AUTUMN15, Exclusive Promotion, a 300.00 US Dollar minimum, and Discount Rate 15.0%.
- Below $300.00, the cart keeps Promo: AUTUMN15 but shows no Discount Total and says a $300.00 minimum is required.
- At $372.00, the cart says the promotion is now discounting the order and shows Discount Total $55.80.
- The checkout Summary shows Discount Total $55.80 and TOTAL $351.12.
What to check before launch
Test the code in the cart on both sides of the minimum, the way this walkthrough does. Also try an order at exactly the minimum, and lower the quantity again after the discount appears to confirm it goes away. That's how you confirm the eligibility rule, the discount, and the shopper-facing message match what the campaign promised. A code that applies with no minimum gives margin away on small orders, and a code that silently does nothing costs a sale and a support call.
In the store shown here, a code entered below the minimum stayed on the cart with a message, and the discount appeared once the cart reached the minimum. The code was also accepted in lowercase. Message wording, icons, and case handling depend on the SuiteCommerce release and theme, so check them on your own site.
Common questions
How do I create a coupon code in NetSuite for my SuiteCommerce website?
Create a SuitePromotions promotion and give it a code. Go to Lists > Marketing > Promotions, click New Promotion, and pick a type, such as Discount on the Total Order Amount. Set the discount and who qualifies, enter the code on the Coupon Codes subtab, and save. Leave This Promotion Can Be Automatically Applied unchecked if shoppers should have to enter the code.
How do I set up a promo code that only works on orders over a certain amount?
Under What the customer needs to buy, select Spend A Minimum Order Amount Or Buy Specific Items, check Minimum Order Amount, and enter the minimum for each currency your site sells in. In this example it's 300.00 for US Dollar. An order qualifies at the minimum or above.
Why does my web store say a promotion is not discounting the order?
The code was accepted, but the order doesn't meet the promotion's conditions yet. In this example the cart was $124.00 and the minimum is $300.00, so the store said a $300.00 minimum is required and showed no discount. Once the subtotal reached the minimum, the discount appeared.
What's the difference between Exclusive Promotion and Order Type Exclusive Promotion?
Exclusive Promotion can't be combined with any other promotion. Order Type Exclusive Promotion can't be combined with other order promotions, but it can combine with item or shipping promotions, like free shipping over a set amount. Combinable Promotion can be used with other promotions.
Should I check This Promotion Can Be Automatically Applied for a coupon code?
Not if shoppers should have to enter the code. When it's checked, NetSuite and the web store can apply the promotion whenever the order qualifies, without a code. Leave it unchecked for a code you hand out to a mailing list.
What does Discount Item For Accounting do on a promotion?
It names the discount item the promotion's discount posts through on the order, and so the account that absorbs it. It doesn't set the amount. The Discount Rate on the promotion does that.
Is the promotion minimum order amount checked before or after shipping and tax?
Before. The minimum is compared with the order subtotal before shipping and tax. In this example the $372.00 subtotal qualifies, the 15% discount is $55.80, and shipping and tax are added after the discount.
How do I make a promo code that every customer can use as many times as they want?
Use Coupon Code Type Multiple Uses, keep Audience set to Everyone, and set Each Customer Can Use The Promotion on the Usage Limits subtab to Unlimited amount of times. Any shopper can then use the code on every qualifying order.
Does a shopper have to re-enter a coupon code after adding more items to reach the minimum?
Not in the store shown here. The code stayed on the cart below the minimum, and when the quantity went from 1 to 3 the discount appeared without entering it again. Check this on your own site, since the behavior and messages depend on the SuiteCommerce release and theme.