Promo Codes Guide

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

Introduction

The new module, which was added in the Certain 5.5 release, is called “Registration Groups as Promo Codes”. Why that name?

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

When the new module is enabled, users use the Promo Code Wizard to add and edit promo codes in four easy steps. The Promo Code Wizard also creates associated fixed or percentage discounts.

Certain introduced new functionality, including Total Inventory and Availability. Availability determines when a promo code becomes available for use.

Everything is described in this Quick Guide. Page Help in Certain provides more detail. Users can open Page Help by selecting Help & Support in the top right corner and then selecting Page Help.

> 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, a planner assigns one or more discounts to the promo code. The Discounts step is where the planner assigns discounts.

Discounts are created as fee-type agenda items. Those discounts also appear under Plan > Event Setup > Agenda.

Enabling the Module

To enable Registration Groups as Promo Codes for an event, users go to Plan > Configure > Functional Areas Needed by This Event. Users then select the 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. Users cannot enable both modules in the same event. > > (Similarly, users cannot enable both the “Registration Groups as Promo Codes” and “Rotations” modules in the same event.)

Using the Module

When an attendee registers with a valid promo code, the discount(s) assigned to the promo code are applied to the attendee’s fees. A planner makes that possible by adding a Promo Codes section to the registration form.

When the module is enabled, a Promo Codes option appears under Plan on the top level navigation bar. That option opens the Promo Code List page. The Promo Code List page displays the list of existing promo codes.

Actions on the Promo Code List page

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

Promo Code Wizard

The Promo Code Wizard is where planners enter or edit the details of a promo code. Planners access the Promo Code Wizard from Add New to add a promo. Planners access the Promo Code Wizard by clicking an Edit action to edit an existing promo.

The Promo Code Wizard consists of four steps: 1. Overview 2. Discounts 3. Availability 4. Done

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

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

Overview

The Overview step enters 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. Promo Code is unique in the event.
Code Inventory – The maximum number of times this promo code may be used. Code Inventory supports up to 999999.
Default – Unlimited. A blank also equates to “Unlimited”.
Caution: Entering 0 is treated as zero, not as unlimited. Zero inventory means the code cannot be used at all.
Attendee Types – The attendee types who can use this promo code.

Discounts

The Discounts step selects or creates one or more discounts. Those discounts apply when an attendee uses the promo code.

2 - Discounts

Discounts – Click to search for discounts. Users select discounts from the list that displays.
The list of discounts is as per Plan > Event Setup > Agenda.
The list includes fees with negative amounts. The list includes agenda items that have unlimited inventory.
The list includes any discounts created in this wizard as custom discounts for promo codes. This includes the current promo code.

Add Custom Discount – Click to add a new discount by completing the extra fields displayed:

Discount Name
Unique Code
Select Fixed Discount, and enter the Discount Amount.
Or select Percentage Discount, and enter the Percent (%) figure.
Click Add to List.

The discount record is created. The system automatically adds the discount 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

The Availability step specifies when the promo starts and ends. The system makes the promo available only during that time window.

3 - Availability

Starts – Select one of the three options for when the promo becomes available:
Now – Immediately. The default.
Specified Date and Time – Select a Start Date (or enter it in mm/dd/yyyy format). Then enter a Start Time (e.g. 8:00 AM).
Before Event Start Date – Select numbers in any of these fields to determine when the promo becomes available before the event Start Date: Months, Days, and/or Hours.
Ends – Select one of the three options for when the promo ends:
When Event Ends – Availability ends on the event’s End Date/Time.
Specified Date and Time – Select an End Date (or enter it in mm/dd/yyyy format). Then enter an End Time (e.g. 8:00 AM).
Before Event Start Date – Select numbers in any of these fields to determine when the promo becomes no longer available before the event’s Start Date: Months, Days, and/or Hours.

Done

Click Close to close the wizard. Click Create New Promo to add another promo.

4 - Done

More Features

Imports

Users can import Promo Codes and import Discounts from .csv files. Users can view Page Help for full details.

If users will import Promo Codes, users may need to import Discounts first. Promo Code import files must specify discount codes that already exist in the event.

> Note: Users can update existing Promo Codes by importing a .csv file. The file contains Promo Codes that already exist in the event. Users can apply the same approach to importing discounts to update existing records.

Reports

To report on the use of promo codes, users go to Reports/Analyze. Users add a report of type “Registration Groups with Promo Codes”.

Such a report returns one row per registration. The report columns and filters include all Registration Groups as Promo Codes fields.

Forms

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

The attendee sees a field in which they can enter a promo code. Users can determine whether the promo code field is required. Users can also configure the error messages that the attendee may see.

Users also place the Promo Codes section in the Online Form Sequence.

Promo Codes placement notes

1. Users place Promo Codes after the Attendee Type section. Promo codes are based on attendee type. The Promo Codes form section must come after the Attendee Type section. 2. Users place Promo Codes before the Verify and Payment sections. The promo code’s discounts apply to the fees.

> Important Note: If a registration with a promo code is edited via a form, changing or re moving the promo code means any discount assigned with the original promo code will not be removed. The planner will need to remove the discount on the admin side.

Discounts Assigned via Forms

This section contains two notes about 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, then any associated discounts are not added. The planner must assign the discounts manually.

2. Removing Assigned Discounts

When discounts are assigned to a registration because they are tied to a promo code, the system removes those discounts 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 listed below.

Make the names of discounts self-explanatory. Discount names should include the percentage or $ amount. Discount names are what users see when searching for discounts to apply to new promo codes.
When users create a discount in the Promo Code Wizard, users must not change the discount inventory by editing it in Plan > Event Setup > Agenda.
Users also should not modify the fee expiration date in Plan > Event Setup > Agenda to make it expired. Otherwise, the appropriate discount will not be applied.
Users must not add more than one percentage discount to a promo code.