When running an online store with Shopify, an effective discount strategy is a key driver of higher sales. However, Shopify's standard features alone can make it difficult to run complex promotions or fine-tune settings for different customer segments. This article introduces Shopify apps that enable a wide range of discounts, including VIP member-only discounts, volume discounts, first-purchase discounts, and shipping discounts.
What Shopify's discount features can and can't do
Shopify's standard discount features let you set up basic discounts. For example, you can set percentage discounts, fixed-amount discounts, and free shipping. However, there are limits to how much you can fine-tune settings for more complex promotions or specific customer segments. To work around these limitations, it's worth considering a discount app. Refer to the "5 Shopify Discount Apps" section below to find a discount app that fits what you want to achieve on your own Shopify store.
For more on Shopify's discount features, see the blog article below as well.
What Shopify's discount features can do
- Set basic percentage or fixed-amount discounts
- Create coupon codes
- Set up free shipping
What Shopify's discount features can't do
- Complex conditional discounts
- Fine-tuned discount settings by customer segment
- Advanced automated promotions
5 Shopify discount apps
The Shopify App Store has many discount apps available. Below, we introduce 5 standout Shopify apps.
RuffRuff 予約販売 - for limited-time sales and VIP member-only discounts
RuffRuff 予約販売 is a Shopify app that makes it easy to run pre-order sales. With RuffRuff 予約販売, you can easily set up limited-time sales, special discounts for VIP members, discounts every Wednesday, discounts on days containing the number 5, and more. It's ideal for pre-selling seasonal products or running special promotions for loyal customers.
Main features of RuffRuff 予約販売
- Pre-order functionality
- Limited-time sales and promotions
- Member-only sales and special VIP member discounts
- Recurring discounts (e.g., discounts every Wednesday, discounts on days containing the number 5)
- Deferred payment, product card badge display (Starter plan or higher), automatic order tagging
Below is a demo product showing a discount sale using RuffRuff 予約販売.
RuffRuff Order Bonus - for volume discounts and first-come, first-served discounts
RuffRuff Order Bonus is a Shopify app that lets you run all kinds of discount promotions under any condition. For example, it can enable the following types of discounts:
- Free shipping exclusively for VIP members
- Discounts tiered by membership rank
- Volume discounts
- Discounts when a specific product is included
- Discounts for customers with 10 or more past purchases
- First-come, first-served discounts (20% off for the first 10 customers)
and more.
Many other discount promotions are possible as well. For details, check out the service page via the button below.
Steppun Discount - for quantity-limited discounts
Source: Steppun Discount｜Shopify App Store
Steppun Discount is an app that lets you set up tiered discounts based on purchase quantity — for example, "5% off for 3 or more, 10% off for 5 or more" — as well as quantity-limited discounts, such as "10% off, up to 2 units maximum." It's effective for encouraging bulk purchases or running clearance sales.
The blog article below introduces Steppun Discount's features, pricing plans, and setup process in detail. Please use it as a reference.
Main features of Steppun Discount
- Volume discounts (discounts based on product quantity)
- Quantity-limited discounts (X% off for up to N units)
- Amount-limited discounts (X% off up to a total of ¥N)
The blog article below shows how to run a volume discount using Shopify's native discount feature. Please use it as a reference.
Go Sub - for subscription product discounts
Source: Go Sub｜Shopify App Store
Go Sub is a subscription app from Go Ride, Inc., one of the few Shopify Plus Partners in Japan. It lets you set up first-purchase discounts on subscription products, as well as tiered discounts that scale with the length of the subscription term.
The blog article below introduces Go Sub's features and pricing plans in detail. Please use it as a reference.
Main features of Go Sub
- Subscription cycle configuration (weekly, every 2 months, etc.)
- Discount rate settings (e.g., 10% off every month, ¥500 off every 2 months)
- First-purchase-only discount setup (via Shopify discount coupons)
- Subscription box functionality
- Bulk payment functionality (pay for 3 months of subscription fees at once)
Discount Box - for volume discounts and shipping discounts
Source: Discount Box｜Shopify App Store
Discount Box is a Shopify app that lets you configure a wide variety of discount types in a single app. It supports volume discounts, shipping discounts, and discounts based on customer tags or product tags.
The blog article below introduces Discount Box's features and recommended functionality in detail. Please use it as a reference.
Main features of Discount Box
- Product discounts (discounts conditioned on customer tags and product tags)
- Shipping discounts (shipping discounts based on customer tags)
- Volume discounts (tiered discounts based on purchase quantity or amount)
In closing
Using Shopify discount apps makes it possible to run complex discount configurations and promotions tailored to specific customer segments — things that are hard to achieve with the standard features alone. Apps like RuffRuff 予約販売, Steppun Discount, Go Sub, and Discount Box each have their own strengths, so it's important to choose based on your business needs.
That said, be careful with excessive discounting, as it can lead to lower profit margins. By taking your product characteristics and customer base into account and choosing and applying the right discount app, you can achieve sustainable sales growth.
Finally, this article covered discount apps that enable complex discount configurations, but the blog article below introduces a variety of recommended apps by genre — beyond discount apps — that support "LTV growth" and "sales growth." Please use it as a reference.
