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Performance Optimization

4 min read

If your site is experiencing slowness related to Smart Cycle Discounts, this guide covers optimization strategies and performance troubleshooting for stores of all sizes.

Performance Factors #

What Affects Performance #

Factor Impact Controllable?
Number of products High Limited
Number of campaigns Medium Yes
Campaign complexity Medium Yes
Server resources High Yes (hosting)
Caching configuration High Yes
Database optimization Medium Yes

Recommended Settings by Store Size #

Small Store (<1,000 products) #

  • Default settings work well
  • Basic caching plugin recommended
  • No special optimization needed

Medium Store (1,000-10,000 products) #

  • Enable plugin caching
  • Use page caching plugin
  • Optimize database periodically
  • Consider object caching

Large Store (10,000+ products) #

  • Required: Object caching (Redis/Memcached)
  • Required: Page caching
  • Recommended: CDN
  • Recommended: Server-level cron
  • Enable optimized query mode

Caching Optimization #

Plugin Cache Settings #

  1. Go to SC Discounts → Settings → Advanced
  2. Enable Caching: Yes
  3. Set appropriate cache duration:
    • Small stores: 12-24 hours
    • Medium stores: 6-12 hours
    • Large stores: 1-6 hours

Object Caching #

For best performance, use persistent object caching:

Option Best For
Redis High-traffic sites, best performance
Memcached Shared hosting with Memcached support
APCu Single-server setups

Page Caching #

Use a page caching plugin:

  • WP Rocket (premium, excellent)
  • WP Super Cache (free)
  • W3 Total Cache (free, complex)
  • LiteSpeed Cache (if using LiteSpeed server)

Important: Ensure cart and checkout pages are excluded from caching.

Database Optimization #

Optimize Plugin Tables #

  1. Go to SC Discounts → Tools
  2. Click “Optimize Database”
  3. Tables are analyzed and optimized

Run monthly or after bulk changes.

Clean Old Data #

  1. Go to SC Discounts → Settings → Advanced
  2. Set reasonable data retention periods:
    • Analytics: 180-365 days
    • Debug logs: 7-14 days
    • Draft cleanup: 7 days

WordPress Database Optimization #

  • Clean post revisions
  • Remove spam comments
  • Optimize all tables periodically
  • Use a plugin like WP-Optimize

Campaign Optimization #

Reduce Active Campaigns #

  • Fewer active campaigns = faster price calculations
  • Pause campaigns you’re not using
  • Delete expired campaigns you don’t need

Simplify Product Selection #

More efficient (faster):

  • “All Products” with simple exclusions
  • Category-based selection
  • Tag-based selection

Less efficient (slower):

  • Many specific products selected individually
  • Complex nested conditions
  • Multiple OR conditions

Optimize Conditions #

Efficient:
- Category equals "Sale"
- Tag equals "discount"

Less Efficient:
- Category equals "A" OR Category equals "B" OR Category equals "C" OR...
- Price greater than X AND less than Y AND...

Query Optimization #

For Large Catalogs #

  1. Go to SC Discounts → Settings → Advanced
  2. Set Query Mode: Optimized
  3. Adjust Batch Size as needed:
    • Higher batch size = fewer queries, more memory
    • Lower batch size = more queries, less memory

Recommended Batch Sizes #

Products Batch Size
<5,000 100
5,000-20,000 200-300
20,000+ 500

Server Optimization #

PHP Settings #

Recommended PHP configuration:

memory_limit = 256M (or higher for large stores)
max_execution_time = 300
max_input_vars = 3000

Hosting Considerations #

Hosting Type Performance Recommendation
Shared Limited OK for small stores
Managed WP Good Good for medium stores
VPS Very Good Good for large stores
Dedicated Excellent Best for high-traffic

Enable OPcache #

Ensure PHP OPcache is enabled (usually is by default on modern hosting).

Frontend Performance #

Price Calculation Caching #

Discounted prices are cached to avoid recalculation:

  • First load calculates and caches
  • Subsequent loads use cache
  • Cache invalidates when campaigns change

Minimize Displayed Products #

  • Limit products per page (24-36 typical)
  • Use pagination, not infinite scroll
  • Lazy load product images

Cart Fragment Optimization #

If cart fragments are slow:

  • Check caching plugin settings
  • Ensure cart fragments not cached
  • Consider cart fragment optimization plugins

Diagnosing Slowness #

Identify the Bottleneck #

  1. Is it database-related?

    • Check query monitor plugin
    • Look for slow queries

  2. Is it PHP-related?

    • Check PHP execution time
    • Enable WP_DEBUG_LOG temporarily

  3. Is it server-related?

    • Check server resource usage
    • Contact hosting for insights

Query Monitor Plugin #

Install Query Monitor to identify slow queries:

  1. Install “Query Monitor” plugin
  2. Visit slow pages
  3. Check for slow or duplicate queries
  4. Look for queries related to SCD tables

Enable Debug Mode #

  1. Go to SC Discounts → Settings → Advanced
  2. Enable Debug Mode
  3. Set Log Level to “Debug”
  4. Check logs for timing information

Performance Testing #

Before and After #

When making optimizations, measure:

  1. Page load time (use browser developer tools)
  2. Time to first byte (TTFB)
  3. Database query count and time

Testing Tools #

  • GTmetrix
  • Google PageSpeed Insights
  • Pingdom
  • WebPageTest

Load Testing #

For high-traffic preparation:

  • Use tools like Loader.io or k6
  • Test with realistic traffic patterns
  • Monitor server during tests

Quick Wins #

Immediate Improvements #

  1. Clear all caches
  2. Optimize plugin database tables
  3. Pause unused campaigns
  4. Enable plugin caching if disabled

Medium-Term Improvements #

  1. Install a page caching plugin
  2. Set up object caching
  3. Optimize database regularly
  4. Clean old analytics data

Long-Term Improvements #

  1. Upgrade hosting if needed
  2. Implement CDN
  3. Set up server-level cron
  4. Regular performance monitoring

When to Contact Support #

Contact support if:

  • Slowness started after plugin update
  • Specific pages consistently slow
  • Database queries seem abnormal
  • Error messages appearing

Include in support request:

  • System report
  • Query Monitor data (if available)
  • Specific slow pages/actions
  • What optimizations you’ve tried
Updated on February 14, 2026

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