Campaign Not Activating

If your campaign isn’t activating when expected, this guide covers the most common causes and solutions. Follow the diagnostic steps to identify and resolve the issue.

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Quick Checklist #

Before diving deeper, verify these basics:

• ☐ Campaign status is “Active” or “Scheduled” (not Draft or Paused)
• ☐ Current date/time is within campaign date range
• ☐ Campaign has products selected
• ☐ Plugin is activated
• ☐ WooCommerce is active

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Common Causes #

1. Campaign Status is Draft #

Symptom: Campaign created but never published.

Check:

1. Go to SC Discounts → Campaigns
2. Look at the Status column
3. If “Draft,” the campaign was never finalized

Solution:

1. Edit the campaign
2. Complete all steps
3. Click “Publish” on the Review step

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2. Campaign is Paused #

Symptom: Campaign was active but is now paused.

Check:

1. Go to SC Discounts → Campaigns
2. Look for “Paused” status badge

Solution:

1. Click on the campaign
2. Click “Resume” button
3. Campaign becomes active immediately

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3. Start Date is in the Future #

Symptom: Campaign shows as “Scheduled” but isn’t active yet.

Check:

1. View campaign details
2. Check the Start Date
3. Compare to current date/time

Solution:

• Wait for the start date, or
• Edit campaign and change start date to now/past

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4. End Date has Passed #

Symptom: Campaign was working but now shows “Expired.”

Check:

1. View campaign details
2. Check the End Date
3. If in the past, campaign has expired

Solution:

1. Edit the campaign
2. Extend or remove the end date
3. Save changes

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5. Timezone Mismatch #

Symptom: Campaign activates at unexpected times.

Check:

1. Go to Settings → General
2. Verify Timezone setting
3. Compare to expected campaign times

Solution:

• Set correct timezone in WordPress
• Campaign times use site timezone, not visitor timezone

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6. WP-Cron Not Running #

Symptom: Scheduled campaigns don’t activate on time.

Check:

1. Go to SC Discounts → Tools
2. Run Health Check
3. Look for WP-Cron status

Why This Happens:

• WP-Cron runs on page visits
• Low-traffic sites may have delayed cron
• Some hosts disable WP-Cron

Solution:

• Set up server-level cron (recommended)
• Or use a cron monitoring plugin
• Or manually trigger: visit yoursite.com/wp-cron.php

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7. No Products Match #

Symptom: Campaign is active but affects no products.

Check:

1. View campaign overview panel
2. Check “Products Affected” count
3. If 0, no products match your criteria

Solution:

1. Edit campaign → Products step
2. Review product selection and conditions
3. Expand criteria or add specific products

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8. Another Campaign Taking Priority #

Symptom: Campaign is active but a different discount shows.

Check:

1. Go to SC Discounts → Tools
2. Use “Test Product” feature
3. Enter a product ID and see which campaign wins

Solution:

• Adjust priority levels between campaigns
• Higher priority number = takes precedence
• Or modify product selections to avoid overlap

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Diagnostic Steps #

Step 1: Check Campaign Status #

Go to: SC Discounts → Campaigns
Look for: Status column
Should be: "Active" with green indicator

Step 2: Verify Date Range #

Click on campaign to open overview
Check: Start Date and End Date
Current time must be between these dates

Step 3: Check Product Count #

In campaign overview panel
Look for: Products Affected
Should be: Greater than 0

Step 4: Test a Product #

Go to: SC Discounts → Tools
Use: Test Product feature
Enter: Product ID from your campaign
Result: Shows which campaign applies

Step 5: Check System Health #

Go to: SC Discounts → Tools
Click: Run Health Check
All items should be green

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Force Activation #

If Scheduled Campaign Won’t Start #

1. Edit the campaign
2. Change start date to a past date
3. Save and publish
4. Campaign should immediately activate

Clear Plugin Cache #

1. Go to SC Discounts → Tools
2. Click “Clear Plugin Cache”
3. Check if campaign now works

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Recurring Campaign Issues #

Recurring Campaign Not Starting #

For recurring campaigns (Pro):

1. Verify the recurring schedule settings
2. Check if today is an “active” day in the schedule
3. Check current time vs. configured active hours

Between Occurrences #

Recurring campaigns are only active during scheduled periods:

Example: Weekend sale (Sat-Sun only)
Monday-Friday: Campaign exists but is not active
Saturday-Sunday: Campaign is active

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Still Not Working? #

Enable Debug Mode #

1. Go to SC Discounts → Settings → Advanced
2. Enable Debug Mode
3. Save settings
4. Attempt to trigger the campaign
5. Check debug log for errors

Check for Plugin Conflicts #

1. Temporarily deactivate other plugins
2. Test if campaign works
3. Reactivate plugins one by one to identify conflict

Contact Support #

If still experiencing issues:

1. Go to SC Discounts → Tools
2. Copy System Report
3. Contact support with:
   • System report
   • Campaign settings (screenshot or description)
   • Expected vs. actual behavior
   • Debug log entries (if enabled)