Discount Item automatically generates unique discount codes in Shopify and BigCommerce and adds them to your Omnisend emails. This eliminates manual code creation and ensures each customer receives a valid, trackable coupon.
If your store is not on Shopify or BigCommerce, refer to the dedicated articles for WooCommerce and other ecommerce platforms.
Before You Begin
If you're on Shopify, you can combine Discount Item codes with other Shopify order, product, or shipping discounts.
Shopify groups multiple discount codes under a single "parent" discount. For example, a "WELCOME10" discount may include codes like
WELCOME10A,WELCOME10B, etc. Shopify's admin search only finds the parent discount, not individual child codes. Learn more about Shopify combined discounts.
Add a Discount Item
To add a Discount to your email, select Add Elements on the left-hand sidebar → drag and drop the discount to your email.
Once you add a discount to the email, you can edit its code settings. Under the Discount tab, you’ll find the general settings, where you can adjust the discount content and conditions.
Configure Discount Settings
Discount Type and Value
Choose the discount type:
Cart discount: Specify a percentage or fixed amount off (in your store's currency).
Free shipping: Provide free shipping with an expiry date.
If you select Cart discount, choose whether to apply a percentage or a fixed amount, then enter the discount value.
With Cart discount, you can also define additional conditions, such as:
Applying the discount to all products;
Setting a minimum order value (based on your store’s currency), or;
Limiting the discount to specific collections.
Expiry Period and Date Format
After selecting the discount type and value, you can set an expiry period. The discount becomes active when the message is sent and expires at 11:59 PM in your account time zone on the day you set.
Example:
If you send an email at 3:00 PM EDT with a 1-day expiry. The discount expires at 11:59 PM EDT the next day (approximately 33 hours total).
In other words, the discount remains valid for one full day plus the remaining hours until the end of that day.
Usage
You can limit how many times the same customer can use a discount by enabling Limit discount usage.
You can also limit the total number of times a discount code can be used overall. This option applies to email campaigns only, where all recipients receive the same discount code.
Button
Button settings let you customize the text, link, style, and alignment of the button. When customers click the button, they’re redirected to the configured link.
By default, the button links to your store’s homepage, but you can change it to any URL you want.
Applying Shopify Discount Link (Shopify Only)
If your store is on Shopify, you can enable the Apply Shopify discount link option. When this option is selected:
Customers are redirected to your store’s homepage.
The discount code is automatically applied when they reach the cart.
You can also add or edit the button link while this option is enabled, but keep the following in mind:
By default, the link points to your Shopify store’s homepage.
If Apply Shopify discount link is enabled, the link must match your Shopify store’s URL.
If the entered link doesn’t match your Shopify store’s URL, customers will still be redirected to the homepage.
If the checkbox is not selected, you can use any URL for the button link, but the discount will not be applied automatically.
Colors
You can select your brand colors to apply to the discount item.
To access more color options, click the + icon. You can then enter a HEX color code or choose any color using the color picker.
Annotation
Gmail Annotations are a feature designed specifically for promotional emails. They let you add extra details about your promotion that appear directly in the recipient’s inbox, helping your email stand out.
💡 Here’s what Gmail Annotations look like in your customers’ inboxes:
Layout Settings
The Layout tab lets you adjust the discount item's padding, alignment, and background color
Once you finish editing the discount, your changes are saved automatically, so you can continue editing your email.
Discount Item in Email Campaigns
When you add a Discount Item to a campaign:
One unique code is created for that campaign.
All recipients receive the same code.
During setup, you'll see a placeholder (XXX-XXX-XXXX) since the real code is generated when you send.
Important: The test emails will still show the XXXX-XXXX-XXXX placeholder, as the discount code is generated only when your real email is sent.
In Shopify Admin
Discount codes appear under Discounts, grouped by the parent discount name.
Shopify’s admin search does not support finding individual (child) codes by name. When you search, only the main (parent) discount will appear.
Due to Shopify limitations, discounts with expiration dates result in separate code + discount combinations.
In BigCommerce Admin
Discount codes appear under Marketing → Coupon Codes.
By default, each code is usable once per customer email.
You may see that a discount code appears reusable, but BigCommerce limits it to one use per email address by default.
Discount Item in Automation
When you add a Discount Item to an automation:
Each recipient receives a unique code.
The placeholder (XXX-XXX-XXXX) appears during setup. The actual code is generated when each email is sent.
In Shopify, these discount codes will include the following settings by default:
In BigCommerce, the codes will appear with these default settings:
Important: Automation test emails will still display the XXXX-XXXX-XXXX placeholder, as the actual discount code is only generated when the live automation email is sent.
Discount Codes in SMS Automation
Discount codes can be added to SMS messages in Automation Workflows using the Discount Code personalization tag (the Discount Item block is email-only).
Here’s how it works:
Each SMS recipient receives a unique, auto-generated code.
You can adjust discount settings (type, value, expiry, etc.) within the message configuration.
Important: SMS discount codes are available only in Automations, not SMS Campaigns. Codes appear in your Shopify or BigCommerce admin after the SMS sends.
Reusable Discount Codes
In Omnisend automation, you can enable Reuse unique discount code in this workflow to use the same code across all messages in one automation. This ensures your offer remains consistent when you have more than one message (Email or SMS) in your workflow.
Important: If your discount's expiry date is shorter than the delay between messages in your automation, Omnisend will automatically check whether the reusable discount code is still valid before sending the next message. If the code has expired, a new one will be generated, even if Reuse Discount Code is enabled, to ensure your customers don’t receive expired discounts.
FAQ
Can the format of the auto-generated discount be changed?
No. It's not possible to change the discount format. To use a custom code format, create the code in your store admin and add it to your email as a Text element.
Will I see the discount code in my Shopify/BigCommerce admin?
Yes. Codes appear in Shopify (under Discounts) or BigCommerce (under Marketing → Coupon Codes) after you send the email.
Can I change the discount settings after the email is sent?
Yes, you can update the discount settings in your store’s admin (Shopify or BigCommerce). However, you should not change the actual discount code, as it has already been delivered to recipients and cannot be updated in their inboxes.
Is there any other way to offer unique discount codes to my customers?
You may also upload a list of the Discount codes and assign them as custom properties to your customers' profiles and add them as personalization.
Can I use multiple discount codes in a single email?
No. Only one unique discount code can be generated per email. If you place multiple Discount Items in the same email, all codes will use the configuration of the first block and generate the same code.
To use different unique discount codes with separate conditions, place each Discount Item in a separate email and make sure Reuse discount code is turned off in automation messages.
Can I stack or combine discounts?
Yes, but only for Shopify stores. Click here for more information.
Why does my test email show XXXX-XXXX-XXXX instead of a real discount code?
This is expected. Test emails always display XXXX-XXXX-XXXX as a placeholder because discount codes are generated only when the email is sent to actual recipients.
What's the difference between discount codes in campaigns and automations?
In campaigns, all recipients receive the same discount code (e.g., SUMMER20). In automations, each recipient receives a unique single-use code (e.g., ABC-123-4567) by default.
What happens to reusable discount codes if they expire before the next automation message?
When "Reuse unique discount code" is enabled, the expiry date from the first email applies to all messages in the workflow. If the code expires before the next message is sent, Omnisend automatically generates a new code to ensure customers never receive expired discounts.
If you have any other questions, reach out to our Support Team via an in-app chat or at [email protected].