Run a promotion from idea to checkout
A discount is a rule you set once. Mirin applies it at checkout, keeps it inside the limits you chose, and records every use. By the end of this page you will have a working promotion live on your store, from picking the discount type to watching the uses count climb.
Everything here lives in one place. Open E-commerce, then Discounts. We will follow a small coastal wine shop through each decision.
Your first decision: code or automatic
When you click Create discount on the Discounts page, Mirin asks one question first. Do you want a discount code the shopper types at checkout, or an automatic discount that applies by itself the moment the cart qualifies? Everything else about the discount works the same way. This choice only decides how the shopper unlocks it.
Discount code
The shopper types a code like WELCOME10 at checkout. Best when you want to control who gets the deal: an email list, a tasting-room card, a partner.
Automatic discount
No code to remember. The discount appears on its own when the cart qualifies. Best for storewide promotions you want every shopper to hit, like free shipping over a threshold.
A simple rule of thumb. If the deal is a reward for a specific group, use a code. If the deal should nudge every shopper toward a bigger cart, make it automatic. Codes are unique to your store and not case sensitive, so welcome10 works just as well.
What the discount is worth
Every discount takes one of three value types. Pick the one that matches what you want the shopper to feel.
- Percentage
- Takes a percentage off the qualifying items. Scales with the cart, so bigger orders save more.Wine shop example:10% off the whole order for new customers with
WELCOME10. - Fixed amount
- Takes a set dollar amount off. Predictable for you, easy for the shopper to picture.Wine shop example:$25 off any order over $100, no code needed.
- Free shipping
- Removes the shipping cost. The single most reliable nudge to grow a small cart into a bigger one.Wine shop example:Free shipping on every order over $75.
You choose the value type on the discount form, right at the top. Percentage and fixed amount ask for a number. Free shipping needs nothing more, it simply zeroes out shipping when the discount applies.
What it applies to, and when it counts
Two settings on the form shape who actually gets the deal. The scope decides which products qualify. The minimum requirement decides how much the shopper must buy before the discount kicks in.
Applies to
All products
The discount touches everything in the store. Good for storewide sales.
Specific collections
Only products in the collections you pick qualify. Great for moving one shelf, like Bordeaux.
Specific products
Hand-pick the exact products. Use it for a single vintage you want gone.
Minimum requirement
No minimum
The discount applies to any qualifying cart, however small.
Minimum purchase amount
The cart must reach a dollar total first, like $75 for free shipping.
Minimum quantity of items
The cart must hold enough qualifying items first, like 6 bottles.
Put them together and you can build a case deal. The wine shop wants to sell Bordeaux by the half case: 15% off, but only on the Bordeaux collection, and only once the cart holds 6 bottles. Here is that discount on the form.
The discount only counts qualifying items toward the minimum. Five Bordeaux and one Riesling does not trigger this deal. Six Bordeaux does, and the 15% comes off the Bordeaux bottles only.
Limits, dates, and status
A promotion that never ends is not a promotion. Three controls keep yours contained.
Usage limit
A cap on total uses across all customers. Set 100 and the discount stops working at use number 101.
Once per customer
Each customer can use the discount a single time. Perfect for welcome offers so nobody is a new customer twice.
Active dates
A start date and an optional end date. The discount waits until the start and shuts off after the end, no midnight bookkeeping for you.
You never set the status by hand. Mirin derives it from the dates you chose, and it moves through the timeline on its own.
Start from a template
The first time you open Discounts, you will not see an empty table. You will see three ready-made starting points, each a proven promotion with sensible settings already filled in. Pick one, adjust the numbers to fit your store, and save. You can also start from scratch if you already know exactly what you want.
Create your first discount from a template
Welcome 10% off
A one-time code for first orders. Once per customer is already switched on.
Use templateFree shipping over $50
An automatic discount with a $50 minimum purchase amount.
Use template$25 off orders over $100
A fixed amount off with a $100 minimum purchase amount.
Use templateOr start from scratch
Templates are just prefilled forms. Whatever you pick, you land on the same discount form from the earlier sections and can change every setting before saving.
What your shopper sees at checkout
Once a discount is active, you are done. The storefront takes it from here. Shoppers with a code find the code box in the cart and at checkout, type it once, and see the discount line appear in their total. Automatic discounts never ask for anything. They show up on their own the moment the cart qualifies.
Automatic discounts are also re-checked on every cart change. If several qualify at once, the best one for the shopper applies. Tier upgrades happen by themselves. A shopper at $70 sees no free shipping. They add one more bottle, cross $75, and the shipping line drops to free without anyone touching a thing.
When the shopper pays, the order keeps a permanent record of the discount used and the amount saved. You will see it on the order detail alongside the totals, so your history stays accurate even if you delete the discount later. More on that in Orders.
The payoff. You write the rule once. After that, every cart in your store negotiates with it on its own, at any hour, without you watching. The wine shop set the Bordeaux case deal on a Tuesday and sold four half cases by the weekend without touching the dashboard.
Tracking how it performs
Back on the Discounts page, every discount shows a Uses column. For a discount with a usage limit it reads used over limit, like 42/100, so you can see a promotion filling up before it stops. Discounts without a limit just show the running count.
| Discount | Status | Type | Value | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome 10% offWELCOME10 | Active | Code | 10% | 42/100 |
| Free shipping over $75 | Active | Automatic | Free shipping | 118 |
| Bordeaux Case Deal | Scheduled | Automatic | 15% | 0 |
When the list grows, the filters keep it manageable. Filter by type to see codes or automatic discounts, and by status to check what is active, scheduled, expired, or disabled. A quick weekly glance at Uses tells you which promotions earn their keep and which ones to retire.