How to Create Shopify Quantity Discounts? 2 Simple Methods
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A Shopify quantity discount is a great way to encourage customers to buy more by offering discounts based on the number of items they purchase. It helps boost sales and creates a win-win situation for your store and shoppers.
This guide will explain a Shopify quantity discount, the common types you can offer, and how to create them without using an app. We’ll also recommend a few helpful apps to make the process even easier. Let’s start with some simple steps to improve your store’s sales.
1. What are Shopify quantity discounts?
A Shopify quantity discount is a pricing strategy that lets you offer customers a discount based on the number of units of the same item they purchase. This approach encourages bulk buying and can increase your store’s average order size.
Unlike volume discounts, which apply to the cart’s total value, quantity discounts focus on the number of specific products purchased. For example, you can offer 10% off when customers buy 5 or more units of the same item.
Quantity discounts can help boost sales, clear excess inventory, and provide more value to your customers without lowering prices. It’s a great way to reward customers for buying more while benefiting your store’s revenue.
2. Common types of Shopify Quantity Discounts
Quantity Discount by Reducing the Price Per Unit
This is the most basic type of quantity discount. It encourages customers to buy more by offering a lower price per item as they purchase more. For example:
- Buy 1-2 items: Pay total price
- Buy 3-4 items: Get 10% off each
- Buy 5 or more items: Get 15% off each
Formula:
- Discounted Price = Regular Price × (1 – Discount Percentage)
- Total Price = Quantity × Discounted Price
Example: If a product costs $20:
- For 2 items: 2 × $20 = $40
- For 4 items (with 10% off): 4 × ($20 × 0.9) = 4 × $18 = $72
- For 6 items (with 15% off): 6 × ($20 × 0.85) = 6 × $17 = $102
Quantity Breaks (Tiered Discounts)
This discount type applies different rates for different ranges of products bought. Each range has a specific discount, which only applies to the items within that range.
Example:
- Buy 1-3 items: No discount
- Buy 4-7 items: Get 10% off those specific items
- Buy 8-10 items: Get 20% off those specific items
Calculation Formula:
Total Price = (Q1 × P) + (Q2 × P × 0.9) + (Q3 × P × 0.8)
Where:
- Q1 = Quantity in the first range (1-3)
- Q2 = Quantity in the second range (4-7)
- Q3 = Quantity in the third range (8-10)
- P = Regular price per item
Example Calculation: If a customer buys 10 items at $10 each:
Total Price = (3 × $10) + (4 × $10 × 0.9) + (3 × $10 × 0.8)
= $30 + $36 + $24
= $90
Quantity Discount Based on the Buy X, Get Y Concept
This type of discount offers free or discounted items when customers purchase a certain quantity. It can be applied to the same product or across different products.
Examples:
- Buy 2, Get 1 Free
- Buy 3, Get 2 Free
- Buy a bundle of 3 shirts and get a free tie
Formula:
Total Price = (Paid Quantity × Regular Price) + (Free Quantity × 0)
Example: For a “Buy 2, Get 1 Free” deal on $30 items:
=> Total for 3 items = (2 × $30) + (1 × $0) = $60
Quantity Discount with a Fixed Amount
This discount sets a fixed price for a specific quantity of items, regardless of their individual prices. It’s useful for creating attractive bundle deals.
Examples:
Buy 5 items for $150
Buy 3 items for $100
3. How to create a Shopify quantity discount with Shopify native discount
To create a quantity discount in Shopify without using an app, manually create discount codes for each purchase tier. Each discount code will correspond to a specific quantity of products, and customers must enter the correct discount code at checkout based on the number of items they are purchasing.
Example:
- Buy 3 for 10% off: The customer adds 3 products to the cart, and during checkout, they must enter the discount code DISCOUNT3 to receive a 10% discount.
- Buy 5 for 15% off: The customer adds 5 products to the cart, and during checkout, they must enter the discount code DISCOUNT5 to receive a 15% discount.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Create Discount Codes
- Go to the Discounts section in your Shopify admin.
- Select Create Discount. Here, I choose Amount off products as an example.
- Set the discount code for each tier (e.g., DISCOUNT3 for buying 3 items, DISCOUNT5 for buying 5 items).
- Define the percentage off for each code and set the minimum quantity of products required for the code to apply.
Step 2: Inform Customers
- Display each discount code clearly on the product page or your store’s promotional banners.
- Ensure that customers know which code applies to which tier.
Advantages: This method is completely free, as you don’t need to use any paid apps to create quantity discounts.
Disadvantages:
- The main downside is that customers must remember to enter the discount code at checkout manually. This can sometimes result in confusion or a less seamless shopping experience.
- It may be difficult to communicate the discount tiers clearly to customers, especially if there are several tiers.
Although this approach can work effectively, it may affect the overall customer experience since the discount is not automatically applied. Using apps that automate this process might be a good option for better customer convenience as your store grows.
4. Recommended Shopify app to create a quantity discount
Using apps to create quantity discounts on Shopify can really help your store:
- It’s much easier to set up discounts, even complicated ones
- The app does the math for you, so customers see the right price at checkout
- You can see how well your discounts are working and make them better
- You can show off your discounts in eye-catching ways in your store
Let’s look at two highly recommended options for creating quantity discounts:
4.1 BOGOS – Good for Basic Volume Discounts and More
BOGOS is a great all-in-one solution if you want to set up basic volume discounts along with other promotions, such as free gifts or bundle deals. It’s like a Swiss Army knife for Shopify discounts, offering flexibility for various types of offers.
Key Features of Quantity Breaks:
- Set multiple discount tiers.
- Perfect for increasing your average order value (AOV) by encouraging larger purchases.
- Works smoothly with other discounts, making it a versatile option for your store.
Where to Create?
To create quantity breaks, navigate to All Bundles > Create Bundle > Quantity Break.
Once inside, you can set up a bundle title, add a header, and describe your offer. The app also allows you to specify which products are eligible for the discount.
Depending on your business strategy, you can target specific items in your store or apply the discount universally across all products. The preview feature shows how the discount will appear to customers, ensuring your offer looks appealing before it goes live.
Customization Options for Quantity Breaks
BOGOS offers several customization options to tailor the quantity breaks to your needs:
- Tiered Discounts: Set multiple tiers with different discount levels (e.g., 10% off for 3 items, 20% off for 5).
- Custom Labels: Add labels like “Most Popular” or “Best Value” to highlight certain discount tiers.
- Product-Specific Discounts: Apply discounts to individual products or entire collections.
- Pre-Selected Offers: Choose which tier is automatically pre-selected for customers to encourage higher purchases.
- Advanced Customization: Control the start and end dates of discounts, choose which customer groups see the offers, and add discount badges to product pages to highlight savings.
4.2 Pumper Bundles – For Serious Quantity Discount
If quantity discounts are central to your business strategy, Pumper Bundles Volume Discount is a more specialized option. This app focuses exclusively on quantity pricing, making it ideal for businesses relying heavily on bulk sales or volume-based offers.
Features of Pumper Bundles:
- You can set an unlimited number of price tiers.
- Offers can be customized as percentage discounts, flat amounts, or specific prices.
- Discounts can apply to individual products or entire collections.
- It showcases attractive discount tables and badges on product pages.
- The app encourages customers to buy more with pop-up messages and other prompts.
This app is excellent if you need detailed control over quantity pricing.
Choosing Between the Two
- BOGOS is ideal if you want to offer various discounts and promotions, with quantity discounts being just one part of your overall strategy.
- Pumper Bundles is better suited if quantity pricing is a major part of your business and you need more control over pricing tiers and discount structures.
Both apps offer free trials, so you can try them out and see which one works best for your store. Ultimately, the best app is the one that aligns with your business goals and the way you want to manage promotions.
5. How to add Quantity Discounts on Shopify with BOGOS?
Step 1:
Choose All Bundles > Click Create Bundle
Step 2:
Select Quantity Break > Click Create Bundle
Step 3:
Fill in Bundle Information > Choose Start Time and End Time > Choose Products for applying quantity breaks
Step 4:
Fill in the information of your quantity break offers. Choose the respective quantity and discount type.
If you want to combine quantity breaks with order discounts or shipping discounts, remember to tick the box of combinations.
You can preview the offer displayed in the Preview tab on the right.
Step 5:
Click Publish to publish your offer on your Shopify store immediately. Click Save draft to save the offer setup first, but not publish it yet.
6. Benefits of using Shopify quantity discounts
Boost Sales Volume
One of the big benefits of Shopify’s quantity discounts is boosting sales volume. When you give customers discounts for larger purchases, you encourage them to buy more. Individuals who want to take advantage of the lower price per unit will purchase multiple items. This drives more sales, increases average order values, and brings higher revenues.
Enhance Customer Satisfaction
Customers usually appreciate good deals. When enjoying quantity discounts, they feel they are saving money by purchasing more. Thus, their shopping experience improves.
This nice experience will help you retain customers, increasing their chance of coming back to buy other things. In other words, you can build long-term relationships with your customers through quantity discounts.
Reduce Inventory
Quantity discounts can be an effective tool for reducing excess inventory. With a discount on bulk purchases, it’s quick to clear out slow-moving products or seasonal items. This frees up storage space and ensures your inventory remains fresh and relevant. You can further reduce storage costs and improve cash flow.
Attract New Customers
Quantity discounts are also a great way for you to attract new customers to your Shopify store. When you launch promotional campaigns with bulk discounts, you can draw the attention of potential purchasers who are looking for good deals. They may then come, experience, and return for future purchases. As long as your store offers are of great value, you can further expand your customer base.
Encouraging Wholesale Purchases
If you want to expand the wholesale market, using quantity discounts can be a powerful idea. Wholesale buyers look for savings on large orders. If you provide competitive quantity discounts for wholesale buyers, you can attract them to choose your store as their supplier. Therefore, you can have more large-volume sales.
7. Advanced strategy to help boost your Shopify Quantity Discount performance
Tailor based on customer segments
Segmenting customers and tailoring your offers based on different customer groups is a good method for optimizing your deals. Each segment may have unique purchasing behaviors and preferences. So, when you classify them, you can customize your offers to better match their needs. This way, your discount offers will be more appealing and effective.
Read more: Shopify Volume Discount App: Top 8 most reviewed
Limit promotions in time
You can implement time-limited discounts to create a sense of urgency, enhancing your quantity discounts’ effectiveness. Including countdown timers in your promotions to remind customers of the expiration time is frequently used.
When you limit the promotion duration, your customers are encouraged to make a purchase quickly. It helps drive faster decision-making and boost sales during specific periods.
Combine with other deals
Combining quantity discounts with other deals is a great way to make your offers more attractive. For instance, you can give a quantity discount with free shipping or a complimentary gift. This approach adds extra value for customers, encouraging larger purchases. It also helps promote complementary products or clear out slow-moving inventory.
Keep reminding users
Remember to remind your customers of your discount offers frequently. Customers might not make a purchase the first time they see the offers, but they can later. Understanding the customer journey and sending reminders at suitable times will help you increase conversion rates.
You can use email newsletters, push notifications, banners, and more. Remember to highlight the offers’ benefits and mention deadlines (if any).
8. Conclusion
Shopify’s quantity discount is a powerful strategy that helps you increase your Shopify store’s revenue. Creating volume discounts is not hard; you can easily do it with our guide. However, you should keep in mind the best practices and helpful tips provided to implement them efficiently.
If you thoroughly understand it now, let’s analyze the factors in your Shopify store and try adopting the strategy!
9. FAQs
What Is a Shopify Quantity Discount Pricing Strategy?
It is a pricing strategy that involves offering lower prices when customers’ purchase quantity increases. It incentivizes customers to buy more products to get the deals, increasing businesses’ sales and revenue.
What Is the Difference Between Shopify Quantity Discounts and Tiered Pricing?
Quantity discounts are discounts when customers’ purchase quantity of a product reaches the required number. Meanwhile, tiered pricing offers are made when their cart value reaches the predetermined price tiers. The first focuses on quantity, while the second is about total spending.
Can You Create Shopify Quantity Discount Without an App?
No, you can’t. Shopify’s built-in discount feature currently doesn’t support quantity discounts. You need to make it via third-party apps.