Introduction
The guide describes the new module named “Registration Groups as Promo Codes.” This module was added in Certain 5.5. Prior to Certain 5.5, users used the Registration Groups module to handle promo codes. When the new module is enabled, users use the Promo Code Wizard to add and edit promo codes in four steps. The four steps include creating fixed or percentage discounts. Total Inventory and Availability are new features. Under the hood, the new module still uses Groups and Agenda Items to assign the discounts. The Quick Guide covers all details; Page Help in Certain has additional detail.
Note: Under the hood, the new module still uses Groups and Agenda Items to assign the associated discounts.
Using the Module
The module enables promo codes and applies discounts during attendee registrations. When an attendee registers with a valid promo code, the discount(s) assigned to that code are applied to their fees. The system adds a Promo Codes section to the registration form. The Promo Codes option appears under Plan in the top navigation bar when the module is enabled. 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 by name or code text box. The list updates dynamically to show only matching promo codes. To edit an existing promotion, click the Edit icon in the Actions column and use the Promo Code Wizard to modify the promotion. To create a new promotion, click Add New. To view a list of completed registrations that used a promo code, click View Registrations 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 is displayed when you click Add New to add a promo, or to edit an existing one. The wizard consists of four steps: Overview, Discounts, Availability, Done.
1 - Overview
- Promo Name — A descriptive name for internal use.
- Promo Code — The code used by the attendee when registering. (Unique in the event.)
- Code Inventory — The maximum number of times this promo code may be used; up to 999999.
- Default — Unlimited. (Blank also equates to “Unlimited”.)
- Caution — Entering 0 is treated as zero, not as unlimited. Zero inventory would mean 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 this promo code.
2 - Discounts
- Discounts — Click to search for discounts, and select from the list which is then displayed.
- The list of discounts is as per Plan > Event Setup > Agenda (fees with negative amounts, that have unlimited inventory). These include any created in this wizard as custom discounts for promo codes (including the current one).
- 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, and automatically added to the Discounts field for this promo code. It is created as a Fee-type agenda item and will therefore also appear under Plan > Event Setup > Agenda.
3 - Availability
- Starts — There are three options for when the promo becomes available: Now; Specified Date and Time; Before Event Start Date.
- Starts — Now — Immediately. (The default.)
- Specified Date and Time — Select a Start Date (or enter it in mm/dd/yyyy format), and enter a Start Time (e.g. 8:00 AM).
- Before Event Start Date — Select numbers in any of these fields to determine at what point before the event's Start Date the promo becomes available: Months, Days, and/or Hours.
- Ends — Similarly, select one of the three options for when the promo ends: When Event Ends; Specified Date and Time; Before Event Start Date.
- Ends — When Event Ends — Availability ends on the event's End Date/Time.
- Ends — Specified Date and Time — Select an End Date (or enter it in mm/dd/yyyy format), and enter an End Time (e.g. 8:00 AM).
- Ends — Before Event Start Date — Select numbers in any of these fields to determine at what point before the event's Start Date the promo becomes no longer available: Months, Days, and/or Hours.
4 - Done
- Close — Close to close the wizard, or Create New Promo to add another one.
More Features
Imports
There are options to Import Promo Codes and Import Discounts from .csv files. If you will be importing Promo Codes, you may need to import Discounts first, because the Promo Code import file must specify discount codes that already exist in the event. You can update existing Promo Codes by importing a .csv file with Promo Codes that already exist in the event. The same applies to importing discounts to update existing records.
Reports
To report on the use of promo codes, go to Reports/Analyze, and add a report of type “Registration Groups with Promo Codes”. Such a report returns one row per registration; 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 will see a field in which they can enter a promo code. You can determine whether that is a required field (that is, whether they must enter a promo code), and you can configure the error messages they may see.
Two notes about where to place the Promo Codes section in the Online Form Sequence when adding it to the form on the Form Setup page:
1. After the Attendee Type section. Promo codes are based on attendee type, so the Promo Codes form section must come after the Attendee Type section. You can put both on the same page, though. (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, so that the promo code's discounts will be applied to the fees.
Important Note: If a registration with a promo code is edited via a form, changing or moving the promo code, any discount assigned with the original promo code will not be removed; the planner will need to remove it on the admin side.
Discounts Assigned via Forms
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 them manually.
2. Removing Assigned Discounts — When discounts have been assigned to a registration because they're tied to a promo code, they 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 them manually.
Best Practices
Some suggested best practices:
- Make the names of discounts self-explanatory, including the percentage or $ amount. They’re 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.
- Nor should you modify the fee expiration date there, making it expired; otherwise the appropriate discount will not be applied.
- Do not add more than one percentage discount to a promo code.