Creating Your First Campaign
5 min read
This step-by-step guide walks you through creating your first discount campaign using the 5-step Campaign Wizard. By the end, you’ll have an active promotion running on your store.
Accessing the Campaign Wizard #
There are multiple ways to launch the Campaign Wizard:
- Primary: Navigate to SC Discounts → Campaigns and click Add New Campaign
- Dashboard: Click Create New Campaign on the main dashboard
- Quick Link: Use the + New button in the admin bar (if available)
The wizard opens in fullscreen mode, providing a focused, distraction-free environment for campaign configuration.
Step 1: Basic Information #
The first step establishes your campaign’s identity and management settings.
Campaign Name (Required) #
Enter a clear, descriptive name that identifies this campaign. This name appears throughout the plugin interface.
Best Practices:
- Include the promotion type: “Summer Sale 2025”, “Black Friday 30% Off”
- Reference the time period: “January Clearance”, “Weekend Flash Deal”
- Keep under 100 characters for optimal display
Examples:
- ✓ “Black Friday 2025 – 30% Off Everything”
- ✓ “Weekly Flash Deal – Electronics”
- ✓ “VIP Members 20% Discount”
- ✗ “Sale” (too generic)
- ✗ “Test” (not descriptive)
Description (Optional) #
Add internal notes about the campaign. This field is for your reference only—customers never see it.
Useful for:
- Campaign objectives and goals
- Approval status or stakeholder notes
- Links to related marketing materials
- Recurring pattern reminders (“Repeat monthly on first weekend”)
Priority (Required) #
Priority determines which discount applies when multiple campaigns target the same product.
| Level | Label | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Critical | Flash sales, VIP exclusives, urgent promotions that must override everything |
| 4 | High | Major events: Black Friday, seasonal launches, holiday sales |
| 3 | Normal (Default) | Standard promotions, regular weekly/monthly sales |
| 2 | Low | Background discounts, ongoing loyalty programs |
| 1 | Minimum | Catch-all discounts, fallback campaigns for products without other discounts |
How Priority Works:
- When Product A is in Campaign X (Priority 3) and Campaign Y (Priority 4)
- Campaign Y’s discount applies because it has higher priority
- Campaign X is ignored for Product A (but applies to other products)
Click Next to continue to product selection.
Step 2: Product Selection #
Choose which products receive this discount. The selection method determines how products are identified.
Category Filter (Optional) #
Before selecting products, optionally narrow the product pool by category:
- Click the category dropdown and select one or more categories
- Only products in selected categories will be available for selection
- Leave empty to include all categories
Selection Methods #
All Products #
Applies the discount to every product in your catalog (or within selected categories).
- Best for: Store-wide sales, seasonal clearance
- Note: New products automatically receive the discount
Specific Products #
Hand-pick individual products using the search interface.
- Type in the search box to find products by name, SKU, or ID
- Click a product to add it to your selection
- Click the ✕ on selected products to remove them
- Selected count displays at the bottom of the selection area
- Best for: Targeted promotions, specific item clearance
Random Products #
Automatically selects a specified number of random products.
- Enter how many products to include (1-100)
- Products are randomly selected when the campaign activates
- Different products may be selected for each recurrence (recurring campaigns)
- Best for: “Mystery deals”, rotating promotions, discovery campaigns
Smart Selection (Pro) #
Automatically select products based on business criteria:
| Criteria | Selects |
|---|---|
| Best Sellers | Top performing products by sales volume |
| Featured Products | Products marked as “Featured” in WooCommerce |
| Low Stock | Products with ≤10 items in inventory |
| New Arrivals | Products added in the last 30 days |
Click Next to continue to discount configuration.
Step 3: Discount Configuration #
Configure the discount type, value, and optional display settings.
Discount Types #
Percentage Discount (Free) #
Reduce prices by a percentage of the original price.
- Enter a value from 1 to 100
- Example: 25 = 25% off ($100 product becomes $75)
Fixed Amount Discount (Free) #
Subtract a fixed dollar amount from prices.
- Enter the discount amount in your store currency
- Example: 10 = $10 off each product
- If discount exceeds product price, product becomes free ($0)
Tiered Volume Pricing (Pro) #
Offer increasing discounts based on quantity purchased:
- Create multiple tiers with quantity thresholds
- Example: Buy 5+ get 10% off, Buy 10+ get 20% off, Buy 25+ get 30% off
Buy One Get One (BOGO) (Free) #
Configure BOGO offers with flexible ratios:
- Set buy quantity, get quantity, and discount percentage
- Example: Buy 2, Get 1 at 100% off (free)
- Example: Buy 1, Get 1 at 50% off (half price)
Spend Threshold (Pro) #
Offer discounts when customers spend above certain amounts:
- Create multiple thresholds with progressive discounts
- Example: Spend $50 get 5% off, Spend $100 get 10% off, Spend $200 get 15% off
Badge Display Settings #
Configure how discounts appear on product images:
- Enable Badge: Toggle to show/hide promotional badges
- Badge Text: Auto-generate (e.g., “20% OFF”) or enter custom text
- Badge Position: Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left, or Bottom Right
- Badge Colors: Customize background and text colors
Click Next to continue to scheduling.
Step 4: Schedule #
Define when your campaign runs, including optional recurring patterns.
Quick Duration Presets #
Select a preset for common campaign durations:
- Flash Sale: 24 hours
- Weekend Deal: 3 days
- Weekly Sale: 7 days
- Monthly Campaign: 30 days
- Custom: Set specific dates manually
Campaign Start Type #
Start Immediately #
Campaign activates as soon as you publish it.
Scheduled Start #
Campaign activates at a specific date and time.
- Select start date using the calendar picker
- Set start time (hours and minutes)
End Date & Time #
- Set an end date: Campaign automatically deactivates at this time
- Leave empty: Campaign runs indefinitely until manually stopped
Timezone #
All dates and times use your WordPress site timezone (displayed for reference).
Recurring Schedule (Optional) #
Enable recurring to have campaigns repeat automatically:
- Pattern: Daily, Weekly, or Monthly
- Interval: Every X days/weeks/months
- Weekly Days: Select specific days (Mon-Sun) for weekly patterns
- Ends: Never, After X occurrences, or On specific date
A preview shows upcoming occurrences based on your settings.
Click Next to continue to review.
Step 5: Review & Launch #
Verify your campaign configuration before launching.
Campaign Health Score #
The health score (0-100) indicates configuration quality:
| Score | Status | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 90-100 | Excellent | Campaign is well-configured, ready to launch |
| 70-89 | Good | Minor improvements possible, but launch-ready |
| 50-69 | Fair | Review recommendations before launching |
| 30-49 | Poor | Significant issues may affect performance |
| 0-29 | Critical | Serious problems require attention |
Review Sections #
- Health Factors: Critical issues that need resolution
- Recommendations: Suggestions to improve effectiveness
- Campaign Conflicts: Overlapping campaigns and priority resolution
- Impact Analysis: Products matched, coverage rate, exclusions
Launch Options #
Launch Campaign / Activate #
- Saves and activates the campaign
- Discounts become visible to customers immediately (or at scheduled time)
Save as Draft #
- Saves without activating
- No discounts apply until you manually activate later
- Useful for preparing campaigns in advance
Quick Example: 20% Off Store-Wide #
Here’s a complete configuration for a simple store-wide sale:
| Step | Field | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Basic Info | Campaign Name | “Spring Sale 2025” |
| Description | “Annual spring clearance” | |
| Priority | 3 (Normal) | |
| 2. Products | Selection Method | All Products |
| 3. Discount | Discount Type | Percentage |
| Discount Value | 20 | |
| 4. Schedule | Start | March 20, 2025 at 00:00 |
| End | March 27, 2025 at 23:59 | |
| 5. Launch | Action | Launch Campaign |
Result: All products display 20% off from March 20-27, 2025.
After Creating Your Campaign #
Once launched, your campaign is:
- Listed on the Campaigns page with its current status
- Active (applying discounts) or Scheduled (waiting for start time)
- Monitored by the health system for ongoing issues
- Tracked for performance analytics (Pro)
You can edit, pause, duplicate, or delete campaigns at any time from the Campaigns list.
Tips for Your First Campaign #
- Start Simple: Use percentage discount on a few specific products to learn the system
- Test with Draft: Save as draft first, verify settings, then activate
- Check Products: Visit your store frontend to verify discounts display correctly
- Review Health Score: Aim for 70+ before launching
- Use Default Priority: Priority 3 works for most single-campaign scenarios
