Campaign Status Explained

Every campaign has a status that indicates its current state. Understanding these statuses helps you manage your promotional calendar effectively and troubleshoot when campaigns aren’t behaving as expected.

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Campaign Statuses Overview #

Status	Color	Meaning	Discounts Applied?
Active	Green	Campaign is currently running	Yes
Scheduled	Blue	Campaign will start at a future date	No
Paused	Yellow	Campaign temporarily suspended	No
Draft	Gray	Campaign not yet published	No
Expired	Red	Campaign end date has passed	No

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Active Status #

The campaign is currently live and applying discounts to products.

When a Campaign is Active #

• Current time is between start and end dates
• Campaign is not paused
• Campaign was published (not saved as draft)

What Happens #

• Discounts apply to selected products
• Badges display on product images (if enabled)
• Discounted prices show in cart and checkout
• Analytics track revenue and conversions (Pro)

Actions Available #

• Pause: Temporarily stop the campaign
• Edit: Modify settings (some restrictions apply)
• End Early: Set end date to now

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Scheduled Status #

The campaign is set to start at a future date and time.

When a Campaign is Scheduled #

• Start date is in the future
• Campaign was published (not draft)

What Happens #

• No discounts apply yet
• Campaign visible in campaign list with “Scheduled” badge
• System monitors for start time

Actions Available #

• Edit: Full editing available (change dates, products, discounts)
• Activate Now: Override schedule to start immediately
• Delete: Remove the campaign

Automatic Transition #

When the start date/time arrives, status automatically changes to Active.

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Paused Status #

The campaign has been temporarily suspended by an administrator.

When a Campaign is Paused #

• User clicked “Pause” on an active campaign
• Campaign was active but manually suspended

What Happens #

• Discounts stop applying immediately
• Products revert to regular prices
• Schedule timers pause (remaining time preserved)

Actions Available #

• Resume: Reactivate the campaign
• Edit: Modify any settings while paused
• Delete: Remove the campaign

Resume Behavior #

When resumed:

• If within original date range: Returns to Active
• If past original end date: May need new dates set

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Draft Status #

The campaign has been saved but not yet published/activated.

When a Campaign is Draft #

• User clicked “Save as Draft” instead of “Launch”
• Campaign creation was interrupted

What Happens #

• Campaign exists in the system
• No discounts apply
• Not visible to customers
• Can be edited freely

Actions Available #

• Edit: Full editing, no restrictions
• Publish/Launch: Activate the campaign
• Delete: Remove the draft

Use Cases for Drafts #

• Preparing campaigns in advance
• Getting manager approval before launch
• Testing configuration without affecting store
• Building templates to duplicate later

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Expired Status #

The campaign’s end date has passed.

When a Campaign is Expired #

• Current time is past the end date
• Campaign ran its full scheduled duration

What Happens #

• Discounts no longer apply
• Products return to regular prices
• Campaign remains visible in list for records
• Analytics data preserved (Pro)

Actions Available #

• Reactivate: Set new dates to run again
• Duplicate: Create a copy with new dates
• Delete: Remove from system
• View: Review settings and performance

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Status Transitions #

How campaigns move between statuses:

                    ┌─────────────┐
                    │    Draft    │
                    └──────┬──────┘
                           │ Publish
                           ▼
              ┌────────────────────────┐
              │                        │
              ▼                        ▼
       ┌─────────────┐         ┌─────────────┐
       │  Scheduled  │────────▶│   Active    │
       └─────────────┘  Start  └──────┬──────┘
                        Date          │
                                      │
                    ┌─────────────────┼─────────────────┐
                    │                 │                 │
                    ▼                 ▼                 ▼
             ┌─────────────┐   ┌─────────────┐   ┌─────────────┐
             │   Paused    │   │   Expired   │   │  (deleted)  │
             └─────────────┘   └─────────────┘   └─────────────┘
                    │                 │
                    │ Resume          │ Reactivate
                    └────────────────▶│
                                      ▼
                               ┌─────────────┐
                               │   Active    │
                               └─────────────┘

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Status in Dashboard and Lists #

Dashboard View #

The main dashboard shows campaign counts by status:

• Active campaigns highlighted prominently
• Scheduled campaigns shown as upcoming
• Health warnings for problematic statuses

Campaign List #

The campaign list allows filtering by status:

• Click status tabs to filter (All, Active, Scheduled, Draft, Paused, Expired)
• Status badges color-coded for quick identification
• Bulk actions available per status

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Automatic Status Changes #

The system automatically updates statuses based on schedules:

Trigger	Status Change
Start date/time reached	Scheduled → Active
End date/time reached	Active → Expired
Recurring occurrence starts	(Re)activates within pattern
Recurring occurrence ends	Waits for next occurrence

These transitions happen via WordPress cron (scheduled tasks). See Automatic Activation documentation for technical details.

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Troubleshooting Status Issues #

Campaign stuck in “Scheduled” #

Possible causes:

• WordPress cron not running properly
• Server time incorrect
• Caching showing stale data

Solution: Check SC Discounts → Tools for cron diagnostics

Campaign showing “Active” but discounts not applying #

Possible causes:

• Higher-priority campaign overriding
• Products not in selection
• Cache needs clearing

Solution: Check priority conflicts and clear cache

Campaign expired too early #

Possible causes:

• Timezone mismatch
• End time set incorrectly
• Server time drift

Solution: Verify timezone settings in WordPress