Harness the Power of the Promotions API: Now GA!

In eCommerce, promotions are key. 

Whether you’ve been using the Promotions API in beta or hesitating to do so until it’s more widely available, this is exciting news! The Promotions API is officially out of beta and ready to be used by developers like you. 

We encourage any developers who are interested in using this API to start exploring and getting your hands dirty. 

What is the Promotions API?

Promotions are a way for merchants to give shoppers discounts based on whether the shopper has met a certain set of criteria, like spending a certain amount of money or purchasing specific brands or items from a store. 

The Promotions API allows you to create rules that include conditions for a customer to get some sort of deal. There are two ways a developer can do this: 

  1. Create a rule that includes a condition on which to take an action. For example, the condition could be buying one pair of shoes and the rule, upon fulfilling the condition, is that the shopper gets an additional pair for free. 

  2. Using an action, create a promotion. For example, take 20% off the entire cart for every shopper during our Memorial Day sale. This doesn’t require any conditions to be met - it’s applicable to all carts. 

There are 5 possible actions for promotions: 

  • Cart Items Action - applies to the individual items in a cart

  • Cart Value Action - applies to the promotion value of the entire cart

  • Shipping Action - applies free shipping

  • Gift Item Action - gives a gift item for free

  • Fixed Price Set Action - gives a fixed price for a set of items

New Promotions API vs. v2 Coupons API: What’s the difference? 

Great question! 

We offer two main features related to discounts and promotions: the Coupons API and the Promotions API. Here's the difference between the two:

Coupons API

This API allows you to create and manage individual coupons or discount codes. This API is useful when you want to offer specific discounts to customers, such as a percentage off their total purchase or a fixed amount discount.

Promotions API

The Promotions API, on the other hand, provides significantly more flexibility in creating promotional campaigns beyond simple coupon codes. 

With the Promotions API, you can define complex promotional rules and conditions. For example, you can set up buy-one-get-one (BOGO) offers, tiered discounts based on order value, free shipping thresholds, and more. Promotions created through this API can encompass various conditions and actions, allowing for more sophisticated marketing strategies.

The Promotions API still allows users to assign coupon codes for each promotion. Users can choose to create either:

  • Automation promotions: promotions that are triggered automatically on checkout

  • Coupon promotions: promotions that are applied only when a code is entered.

So, while the Coupons API focuses on managing individual discount codes, the Promotions API enables you to create more versatile and complex promotional campaigns with a range of conditions and actions. 

If you have an existing integration into the v2 Coupons API, not to worry! That API is still available. However, we strongly recommend upgrading to the new Promotions API, as it will supersede v2 Coupons API down the line. This is a great way to begin future-proofing your offerings.

I’m ready to get started! 

Excellent! To learn more about what you can build with our Promotions API, please check out the following helpful resources:

To learn more, head to the Developer Center! Here you will find documentation, ways to get involved in our community, and so much more.

If you have questions, feedback, or issues implementing, please reach out to our DevRel team.