Create a percentage discount code in Shopify
A discount code is the simplest promotion a store can run: a customer types a code at checkout and the order total drops. This tutorial sets up one welcome code, WELCOME15, worth 15% off orders of $50 or more, limited to one use per customer, running 11 to 30 November 2026.
Checked · Platform Shopify admin, desktop steps · Docs read 11 November 2026 · Read time 6 minutes
The worked example
| Code | WELCOME15 |
| Value | 15% off the order |
| Minimum purchase | $50.00, products only |
| Usage limit | One per customer |
| Active | 11 to 30 November 2026 |
| $120.00 order | $18.00 off, pays $102.00 |
| $80.00 order | $12.00 off, pays $68.00 |
Download the planner: discount-code-planner.csv (375 bytes).
A planning record for your codes, with the WELCOME15 example and a fixed-amount example filled in. It is a record, not an import file: Shopify exports discount codes to CSV but does not import them.
1Open Discounts and start a new discount
From your Shopify admin, go to Discounts, then click Create discount. From the discount type menu, click Amount off products or Amount off orders. The difference matters: an amount off products discount applies to the products you choose, while an amount off orders discount applies to the whole order. For a welcome code that works on anything, either type works; this tutorial uses Amount off orders.
2Choose the code method
Under Method, select Discount code. Then enter the code name in the Discount code section, or click Generate code for a random one. This tutorial uses WELCOME15. Codes are typed by customers at checkout, so keep the code short and readable.
3Set the value to 15%
In the Value section, select Percentage and enter 15. The other choice is Fixed amount, a dollar value off instead of a percent. The planner file has a fixed-amount example too: SAVE20, $20 off orders of $100 or more.
An amount off discount does not apply to shipping costs, so a customer still pays full shipping on a discounted order. That is stated in the Shopify help page linked below.
4Decide what the code applies to
Leave the discount applying to all products for a general welcome code. If the code should only work on some items, use the Applies to section and select Specific products or Specific collections, then add the products or collections. Only the selected items count toward a minimum purchase, which is the next step.
5Set a minimum purchase of $50
In the Minimum requirements section, select Minimum purchase amount and enter 50. The minimum counts product prices only. Shipping costs and taxes are not included, so a $48 cart plus $5 shipping is still under a $50 minimum and the code will not apply. The other choice is Minimum quantity of items, which requires a set number of products in the cart.
6Set who can use it
In the Eligibility section, select All customers for a public welcome code. The other choices are Specific customers, Customer segments, and Markets, which limit the code to the customers or regions you pick.
7Limit it to one use per customer
In the Maximum discount uses section, check Limit to one per customer. Shopify tracks a customer's email address or phone number to enforce the limit. You can also check Limit number of times this discount can be used in total and set a total, for example 200 uses across all customers. If you set a total limit and pick no per-customer limit, a single customer can use the code more than once.
8Set the dates
In the Active dates section, set the start date to 11 November 2026 and click Set end date to set the end date to 30 November 2026. If you do not set an end date, the code does not expire. If you set the same day for start and end, the code is valid for one day only. Start and end times follow the time zone set in your Shopify admin: a start date of 11 November means the code starts at 12:00 am on 11 November in your store's time zone.
9Check combinations and tags, then save
In the Combinations section, check the discount classes this code may combine with, or leave it blank so it does not combine with other codes. In the Tags section, add a tag such as welcome so the code is easy to find in your discounts list. Then click Save. The code appears on the Discounts page and is ready to use.
The arithmetic, checked
The discount applies to the order total before tax and shipping. The figures were recomputed in Python from the same inputs:
| Cart | 15% off | Customer pays |
|---|---|---|
| $120.00 | $18.00 | $102.00 |
| $80.00 | $12.00 | $68.00 |
| $50.00, the minimum | $7.50 | $42.50 |
A $49.99 cart is below the $50 minimum, so the code does not apply at all. When a discount covers a whole order, Shopify splits it across the items in proportion to their prices. Shopify's own example is a $50 discount on a $50 item and a $100 item, split as $16.50 on the first item and $33.50 on the second.
Held at the counter
No CSV import for discount codes. Shopify lets you export discount codes to a CSV file, but you cannot import discount codes with a CSV file. A list of codes from another system has to be entered one by one, or created through an app or the API. Do not plan a launch around uploading a code list.
A code with no limit and no end date spreads. Without a usage limit and an end date, a welcome code can end up on coupon sites and be used far beyond the launch. For a welcome code, set one use per customer and an end date before you save it.
Shipping does not count toward the minimum. The minimum purchase counts product prices only. A customer whose products total $48 with $5 shipping is $2 short of a $50 minimum, and the code will not apply. Tell the customer the minimum is on products, not on the order total.
How this was checked
Each step above was traced to Shopify's help page Amount off discounts, opened 11 November 2026. The desktop steps on that page are the steps in this tutorial. The figures were recomputed in Python 3.12.3 from the same inputs and agree to the cent. No live Shopify store was used: no account was created and no admin screen was clicked through, so the Save click and the checkout behaviour are as documented, not as run. Shopify changes its admin, so if a label on your screen differs, the help page linked below is the current source.
Sources
- Amount off discounts — Shopify's help pages: the full create-discount steps, the minimum purchase rules, the time zone note, and the proportional-split example.
- Exporting discounts — Shopify's help pages: discounts export to CSV only; discount codes cannot be imported with a CSV file.