The Complete Manual Discounts Playbook for Ecommerce Merchants

When it comes to growing an ecommerce business, offering discounts is one of the most effective ways to drive sales, boost customer satisfaction, and increase brand loyalty. While automatic discounts, which are typically set by the platform or system based on predefined rules, have become common; manual discounts still hold an essential place in the ecommerce landscape. Let’s dive into why manual discounts are still relevant and how you can use them strategically to enhance your ecommerce strategy.

Manual discounts are price reductions applied by a customer, rather than being automatically triggered by the system. Unlike automatic discounts, which are applied based on conditions set by the system (like a coupon code or promotional period), manual discounts give the store owner or staff the flexibility to adjust the pricing based on the situation.

This means that instead of relying on an automated system to apply discounts based on certain rules, you can manually add discounts for a specific customer, order, or situation. Manual discounts are typically applied at the checkout or order processing stage, and can vary from a percentage off, a fixed amount, or even a custom discount based on unique circumstances.

While automation is a great tool for streamlining sales processes, manual discounts offer a level of flexibility and personalization that automatic discounts cannot match. Here are some of the top reasons why manual discounts can be a powerful tool for your store:

Manual discounts allow you to provide a more personalized experience to your customers. Whether you’re rewarding a loyal customer, offering a discount to resolve a complaint, or providing a special deal to a high-value client, manual discounts give you the ability to tailor your pricing strategy to individual circumstances.

Sometimes you may want to run a limited-time promotion or offer a special deal that doesn’t fit into your automated rules. Manual discounts give you the ability to create bespoke offers on the fly. For example, you might want to offer a 15% discount to a specific customer who is making a large purchase or offering a flash sale only to users in a particular location

Manual discounts are often a quick and effective way to resolve customer issues or complaints. If a customer has had a negative experience, offering a discount can turn the situation around. Manual discounts allow you to customize the offer based on the specifics of the situation, whether it’s a free product, a percentage off their next purchase, or a flat amount off the current order.

When launching new products, a manual discount can serve as a great tool to entice customers to try something new. Whether you’re offering a special introductory discount to a specific customer segment or adding a discount for customers who are loyal to certain product lines, this is a more controlled way to increase sales without affecting your entire inventory.

With manual discounts, you have the ability to test different pricing strategies without being tied to the automation rules that are set up in your ecommerce platform. This flexibility can help you experiment with different levels of discount to understand what drives the most sale.

ZenBasket’s interface makes it simple to build manual discounts that match your campaign goals. Here’s how to set one up:

Go to Offers → Manual Discounts in your admin dashboard. This section contains all your past and active discount codes, helping you stay organized.

You’ll be taken to a structured form where you can create your new discount from scratch, customizing all necessary parameters.

Enter a unique promo code or auto-generate one, based on the purpose of your campaign. Adding a short internal description helps clarify the reason behind the code for easier future reference and performance monitoring.

You can select either:

• Percentage discount (ideal for promoting cart value)
• Fixed discount amount (more predictable for your margins)

Percentage discounts require setting up a maximum discount cap, ensuring high-value orders don’t receive disproportionate deductions. This provides better control over profit margins.

Restrictions help ensure that discounts support profitability rather than reducing it.

Options include:

• Minimum order amount (e.g., ₹1000 minimum cart value)
• Minimum item quantity (customers must purchase a certain number of items)
• No restrictions, if you want an open-ended offer

These rules help motivate customers to increase their order value.

Usage limits prevent code misuse and keep campaigns within budget.

You can specify:

• Total number of times the coupon can be used.
• Maximum usage per customer.

This is especially useful for first-come-first serve offers or exclusive customer-only discounts.

Scheduling allows you to pre-plan and automates the campaign timeline.

Set:

• Start date (launch automatically at a specific time)
• End date (expire on a selected date)

Deadline-driven discounts often create urgency and encourage faster conversions.

ZenBasket lets you define exactly who can redeem the code. Options include:

• All customers
• Specific customer groups
• Specific customer roles (e.g., wholesale, premium members)
• Individual handpicked customers

This feature is powerful for segmented marketing and VIP-member-only campaigns.

If you want customers to see available coupons at checkout, leave visibility on.

If it’s a private or exclusive code, simply enable “Hide from Store” so only the recipients can use it.

Once saved, the manual discount becomes available for checkout, ready for customers to redeem.

ZenBasket offers detailed management tools to help you stay in control of your promotions.

Update discount value, conditions, dates, or eligibility without creating new codes perfect for extending or optimizing campaigns.

Pausing codes is helpful during stock shortages or campaign adjustments without losing historical data.

Analytics help you understand which codes perform best, how customers use them, and what patterns emerge. This data informs smarter future campaigns

Filter by discount status, type, amount, or customer group to quickly locate and manage specific offers.

Clear obsolete or expired codes to keep your discount dashboard clean and structured.

The customer experience is intentionally simple:

• During checkout, customers enter the promo code in the coupon field.
• Once validated, the discount applies automatically to the order subtotal.
• If no offers are active, they will see a friendly message encouraging them to try again later.

This transparency builds confidence and encourages coupon usage.

Send manual codes to returning customers as part of loyalty rewards, subscription renewals, or milestone celebrations.

A dedicated code helps turn a dissatisfied customer back into a loyal supporter.

Use manual codes to move aging, seasonal, or surplus inventory without advertising a storewide sale.

Give special B2B pricing or exclusive deals only to wholesale clients using eligibility filters.

Provide influencers with unique codes so you can track sales generated through their promotion.

Run controlled experiments, test different discount strategies, and measure conversion lift accurately.

• Use discounts thoughtfully to maintain brand value.
• Communicate terms clearly to avoid confusion.
• Set expiry dates to encourage timely usage.
• Monitor performance regularly to understand customer behavior.
• Pair manual discounts with loyalty programs for better retention.
• Limit overuse to prevent impacting overall margins.

Manual discounts in ZenBasket are designed to give merchants the control and flexibility needed to create meaningful, targeted promotional experiences. Whether you’re rewarding loyal customers, experimenting with pricing strategies, or resolving support issues, manual discounts help you stay agile and strategic.

With customizable rules, tracking options, eligibility filters, and scheduling tools, these discounts offer everything you need to build smarter, more profitable promotional campaigns.