Promo Codes Guide

This document is a guide to using the “Registration Groups as Promo Codes” module in Certain.

Introduction

The “Registration Groups as Promo Codes” module was added in the Certain 5.5 release.

Prior to Certain 5.5, many users had been using Certain’s Registration Groups module to handle their requirements for promo codes.

When the “Registration Groups as Promo Codes” module is enabled, the system uses the Promo Code Wizard to add and edit promo codes in four steps.

The four steps create associated fixed discounts and percentage discounts.

The page also introduces Total Inventory and Availability.

Everything in this guide is described, but the page states that Page Help in Certain contains more detail.

> Note: “Under the hood” the new module still uses Groups and Agenda Items to assign the associated discounts.

Discounts

When creating a promo code in the Promo Code Wizard, the system assigns one or more discounts to the promo code in the Discounts step.

These discounts are created as Fee-type agenda items.

These discounts also appear under Plan > Event Setup > Agenda.

Enabling the Module

To enable Registration Groups as Promo Codes for an event, go to Plan > Configure > Functional Areas Needed by This Event.

Select the Registration Groups as Promo Codes sub-module under the Event Module.

> Important Note: The original “Registration Groups” module and the new “Registration Groups as Promo Codes” module are mutually exclusive.

You cannot enable both modules in the same event.

You cannot enable both the “Registration Groups as Promo Codes” module and the “Rotations” module in the same event.

Using the Module

When an attendee registers with a valid promo code, the discount(s) assigned to that code are applied to the attendee fees.

The system makes this possible by adding a Promo Codes section to the registration form.

The Forms page describes the required form changes.

When the module is enabled, a Promo Codes option becomes available under Plan in the top level navigation bar.

The Promo Codes option takes you to the Promo Code List page.

The Promo Code List page displays the list of existing promo codes.

• To search for a promotion, type any part of a Promo Name or Promo Code in the Search by name or code text box.
• The list updates dynamically as you type.
• The list shows only matching promo codes.
• To edit an existing promotion, click the Edit icon in the Actions column.
• To create a new promotion, click the Add New button.
• To view completed registrations that used a promo code, click the View Registrations icon in the Actions column.
• To export the list of promo codes to Excel, click the Excel icon.

Promo Code Wizard

The Promo Code Wizard is where you enter or edit the details of a promo code.

The wizard opens when you click Add New to add a promo.

The wizard also opens when you click to edit an existing promo.

The wizard consists of four steps.

1. Overview 2. Discounts 3. Availability 4. Done

When adding a new promo, click Next at the end of each step.

When editing an existing promo, you can skip straight to a step by clicking its name at the top of the wizard.

Overview

Enter the basic details for the promo code.

1 - Overview

• Promo Name: A descriptive name for internal use.
• Promo Code: The code used by the attendee when registering.
• The page states this code is unique in the event.
• Code Inventory: The maximum number of times this promo code may be used.
• The page states the maximum value is up to 999999.
• The page states Default = Unlimited.
• The page states a blank also equates to “Unlimited”.
• The page states Caution: entering 0 is treated as zero, not as unlimited.
• The page states zero inventory means the code couldn’t be used at all.
• Attendee Types: The attendee types who can use this promo code.

Discounts

Select or create one or more discounts to be applied when an attendee uses a promo code.

2 - Discounts

The list of discounts is as per Plan > Event Setup > Agenda.

The list includes fees with negative amounts.

The list includes fees with unlimited inventory.

The list also includes any discounts created in this wizard as custom discounts for promo codes, including the current one.

The required extra fields include:

• Discount Name
• Unique Code

The discount type selection includes:

• Fixed Discount
• Enter the Discount Amount.
• Percentage Discount
• Enter the Percent (%) figure.

Click Add to List.

The system creates the discount record.

The system automatically adds the discount record to the Discounts field for the promo code.

The system creates the discount as a Fee-type agenda item.

The discount also appears under Plan > Event Setup > Agenda.

Availability

Specify when the promo starts and ends.

The promo is only available for use by attendees during the specified window.

3 - Availability

• Now: Immediately.
• The page states this is the default.
• Specified Date and Time: Select a Start Date.
• The page states you can enter the date in mm/dd/yyyy format.
• Enter a Start Time.
• Example given: 8:00 AM.
• Before Event Start Date: Select numbers in Months, Days, and/or Hours.
• The page states this determines when the promo becomes available before the event Start Date.

• When Event Ends: Availability ends on the event’s End Date/Time.
• Specified Date and Time: Select an End Date.
• The page states you can enter the date in mm/dd/yyyy format.
• Enter an End Time.
• Example given: 8:00 AM.
• Before Event Start Date: Select numbers in Months, Days, and/or Hours.
• The page states this determines when the promo becomes no longer available before the event Start Date.

Done

Click Close to close the wizard.

Click Create New Promo to add another promo.

4 - Done

More Features

Imports

There are options to Import Promo Codes and Import Discounts from .csv files.

The page directs readers to Page Help for full details.

If you will be importing Promo Codes, you may need to import Discounts first.

The page states the Promo Code import file must specify discount codes that already exist in the event.

> Note: You can update existing Promo Codes by importing a .csv file with Promo Codes that already exist in the event.

The note states the same applies to importing discounts to update existing records.

Reports

To report on the use of promo codes, go to Reports/Analyze.

Add a report of type “Registration Groups with Promo Codes”.

The report returns one row per registration.

The page states that columns and filters include all Registration Groups as Promo Codes fields.

Forms

To enable attendees to enter a promo code in a registration form, add a Promo Codes Section to the form.

The attendee sees a field to enter a promo code.

The planner can determine whether the field is required.

The planner can configure the error messages the attendee may see.

The page provides two notes about where to place the Promo Codes section in the Online Form Sequence on the Form Setup page.

1. After the Attendee Type section.

• Promo codes are based on attendee type.
• The Promo Codes form section must come after the Attendee Type section.
• Both sections can be placed on the same page.
• The page states that if Promo Codes was earlier in the sequence, there would be no promo codes available to the attendee.

2. Before the Verify and Payment sections.

• This ordering ensures the promo code’s discounts are applied to the fees.

> Important Note: If a registration with a promo code is edited via a form, changing or removing the promo code does not remove any discount assigned with the original promo code. > > The page states the planner will need to remove the discount on the admin side.

Discounts Assigned via Forms

Two notes describe discounts assigned via promo codes.

1. Assigning Discounts

Discounts tied to promo codes are only assigned to a registration when the registrant enters a promo code on an attendee form.

> Warning: If a planner assigns a promo code to a registration via the admin interface, any associated discounts are not added. > > The planner must assign the discounts manually.

2. Removing Assigned Discounts

When discounts have been assigned to a registration because they are tied to a promo code, discounts are removed automatically only if the registrant changes the promo code on an attendee form.

> Warning: If a planner changes a registrant's promo code via the admin interface, that action does not remove the assigned discounts. > > The planner must remove the discounts manually.

Best Practices

Some suggested best practices are:

• Make the names of discounts self-explanatory, including the percentage or $ amount.
• The page states these names are what you see when searching for discounts to apply to new promo codes.
• When you have created a discount in the Promo Code Wizard, do not change its inventory by editing it in Plan > Event Setup > Agenda.
• Do not modify the fee expiration date in Plan > Event Setup > Agenda.
• The page states making a discount expired will prevent applying the appropriate discount.
• Do not add more than one percentage discount to a promo code.