Differentiating Single-Code vs. Multi-Code Coupons in SAP Commerce Cloud

There are two basic types of coupons in SAP Commerce Cloud. The first we’ll examine is the single code coupon.

As the name suggests, this coupon is based on a single code that multiple customers can use.

Typical use cases for this type of coupon can be creating a coupon code related to the promoted campaign or brand (ACMEsummersale or just ACME, for example). This code can then be published on a website, in social media, or printed for wider distribution in anything from a magazine to a billboard. You can surely think of many other interesting ways to get your promotion out to a wider audience.

Let's walk through the essential steps to create a single-code coupon next.

In SAP Commerce Cloud, just like with promotion rules, coupons are managed in the Backoffice Administration Cockpit under the Marketing node. Marketing Manager Chris needs to navigate to Coupon Management (1), and then Coupons (2).

To create a new single-code coupon, he needs to open the drop-down menu with the available coupon subtypes, using the little arrow next to the Create button (3). Chris can now choose the type of coupon he wants to create (4).

The "Create New Single-Code Coupon" wizard appears:

Chris now needs to fill in the field Coupon Code (1). This code will act as the unique identifier for the code, but will also be the code that customers need to enter to get whatever benefit the coupon is to grant later. So, Chris needs to be careful to choose a meaningful code.

By default, the coupon is set to inactive (2).

After this step, the new coupon will appear in the list of available coupons and Chris can open it to continue editing.

• Under Coupon Configuration (1), Chris can set basic configurations for his single-code coupon.
• While the coupon code is already set, he can now enter a name (2) to more closely describe what the coupon is for.
• The Coupon Validity section allows Chris to determine when and how often a coupon can be redeemed. He can set how often an individual customer can use this coupon and how often it can be used in total (3).
• There's also the possibility to set a timeframe during which the coupon can be used (4).
• For the coupon to be usable, Chris must remember to set the coupon to active (5).

With this work done, the coupon can now be saved and is then ready for use in a promotion rule.

Now, we can move on to the second type of coupon – the multi-code coupon.

This type of coupon generates many individual coupons that are only redeemed once. An example of using multi-code coupons is in an e-mail marketing campaign. Customers can be sent an e-mail with a personalized coupon code that they can redeem on the storefront for a particular benefit. Of course, the same could be done using print media of some sort.

Next, we'll go over the main steps required to set up a multi-code coupon.

Once again, Chris needs to navigate to the Coupons navigation node (1) in the Backoffice Administration Cockpit and open the drop-down menu with the available coupon types (2). Here he can now select a multi-code coupon (3).

This selection will open the Create New Multi-Code Coupon wizard.

Chris needs to add two pieces of information here:

• First, the Coupon Code Generator Configuration (1). This configuration will determine the length and style of the generated coupon code. For now, he'll choose the default configuration.
• Second, he needs to set a value for Coupon Prefix (2). This prefix will be added to the beginning of the coupon codes and will ideally be related to the campaign or ACME brand.

Once Chris clicks the Finish button, the new coupon appears in the list, allowing him to open it for further editing.

Again, Chris can set basic configurations under Coupon Configuration:

• The coupon code is already set, and he can enter a name (1) to more closely describe the coupon's purpose.
• The Coupon Validity section allows Chris to determine when the coupon codes can be redeemed (2).
• Once again, he must remember to set the coupon to active before customers can use the codes (3).

The basic setup for Chris’s multi-code coupon is now almost complete. The last step in the Coupons section is for him to generate the coupon codes that will later be shared with customers.

For this last step, he's to again open his SUMMER multi-code coupon. He can remove the default-configuration from the Coupon Code Generation Configuration field here and then click Create Coupon Code Generation.

Chris can now create his own coupon generation configuration. This configuration will set the styling of his coupon codes.

• After giving his configuration a name (1), Chris has to choose a separator (2). The separator could be a dash – or an underscore _, for example. This character will separate the code blocks of his coupon.
• Next, he can choose how many characters he wants to include in the coupon codes, keeping in mind that the previously set prefix will be added at the beginning. Chris can set how many character blocks to include (3) and how many characters each block is to contain (4).

As the generator is configured in this example, the result will be a list of codes with five blocks: the prefix SUMMER, and then four blocks with four characters each.

With the configuration of what the coupon codes are to look like complete, it's time for Chris to generate the codes.

Under Generated Coupon Codes, he can specify how many codes he wants to generate (1) and then click the Generate button (2).

Next, Chris can click the download button (3) to get the generated codes in a CSV.

The multi-code coupon now needs to be included in a promotion rule and the coupon codes have to be distributed to customers.

• There are two basic types of coupons: single-code and multi-code.

• Single-code coupons are used by many customers, and multi-code coupons are intended for individual use.

• Coupons must be set to active before they can be used on the storefront.

• Code formats for multi-code coupons can be easily configured.

• Generated codes for multi-code coupons can be downloaded as CSV files for use in other systems, such as for e-mail distribution or printing.