This article explains how to offer employee discounts (in-house sales) on Shopify. In-house sales refer to a program in which a company offers its products or services to its own employees at a special price, often as part of an employee benefits package. This article details two ways to implement in-house sales using Shopify.
What is an in-house sale (employee discount program)?
"Shahan" is an abbreviation of "kaisha hanbai" (company sales) or "shanai hanbai" (in-house sales), and refers to a company selling its products or services to its own employees at a special price. This is often carried out as part of an employee benefits program.
How to offer discounted sales to employees on Shopify
Using the discount feature
First, there's the method of using Shopify's native discount feature. Since the discount feature is a built-in function, you can use it for free.
The advantage of using the discount feature is that you can issue a coupon code usable only by employees, free of charge. On the other hand, the disadvantage is that employees have to enter the coupon code every time they make a purchase.
The blog article below explains the types and usage of the discount feature in detail. Please use it as a reference.
Using a Shopify app
Next, there's the method of using a Shopify app. The advantage of using a Shopify app is that employees can purchase products at the employee discount price without needing to enter a coupon code. The disadvantages are that app usage fees may apply, and some apps may not support Japanese.
"RuffRuff 予約販売": a Shopify app recommended for in-house sales
A Shopify app recommended for offering discounted sales to employees is "RuffRuff 予約販売." By using RuffRuff 予約販売, you can offer discounted sales only to users with a specific customer tag.
"RuffRuff Order Bonus": a Shopify app recommended for in-house sales
RuffRuff Order Bonus is a Shopify app that lets you implement a wide variety of discount promotions under any condition.
For example, you can run discounts such as the following:
- All products discounted for specific customers
- Free shipping for specific customers
- Discount only on a specific category for specific customers
- 10% off for 5 units, 15% off for 10 units, 20% off for 20 units for specific customers
and so on
Many other discount promotions can also be implemented. For details, please check the service page via the button below.
How to offer discounted sales to employees using the discount feature
Here, we'll show you how to issue a "20% off coupon usable only by users with the employee customer tag."
Step 1: Create a customer segment for employees
(1) Click Segments from the Shopify admin
(2) From the segment list, click "Create segment"
(3) Enter "customer_tags CONTAINS 'employee'" as the filter condition
(4) Apply the filter
(5) Change the segment name to a name of your choice
(6) Click "Save"
Step 2: Create a coupon code usable only by employees
(1) Click "Discounts" from the Shopify admin
(2) On the discounts list page, click "Create discount"
(3) From the pop-up that appears, select "Amount off order"
(4) Select "Discount code" as the method
(5) Enter any string of your choice as the coupon code
(6) In the discount value section, choose "Percentage" and enter 20
(7) In the eligibility section, select "Specific customer segments"
(8) From the input field just below, select the segment you created in Step 1
(9) In the active dates, set the period you want to run it for
(10) Click "Save discount"
Step 3: Verify it works
(1) Access it with an employee account and enter the coupon code on the checkout page
(2) Confirm that the discount is applied
(3) Access it with an account other than an employee's and enter the coupon code on the checkout page
(4) Confirm that the discount is not applied and that an alert message is displayed
Once you've confirmed that the coupon code works as intended, the setup is complete.
How to offer discounted sales to employees using a Shopify app
Here, we'll show you how to let "only users with the employee customer tag purchase at a 20% discount price."
Step 1: Initial setup of RuffRuff 予約販売
(1) Install RuffRuff 予約販売 from the Shopify App Store
You can find "RuffRuff 予約販売" by searching "ruffruff" in the Shopify App Store.
(2) Open the app and select "Pricing plan" from the left menu
(3) Review the terms of use and check "I agree to the terms of use"
(4) Click "Change plan" for the plan you want to sign up for
(5) Review the plan details and click "Approve"
(6) From the Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes
(7) Click "Customize" on the Shopify theme you want to add the app to
(8) Select "App embeds" on the left of the screen
(9) Enable the embedded app named "RuffRuff 予約販売"
(10) Click "Save"
Step 2: Create a pre-order rule for the employee discount
(1) Click "Pre-order rules" in the left menu
(2) On the pre-order rules list page, click "Create rule"
(3) From the pre-order rule type options, select "Pre-order using purchase options"
(4) Set any name you like for the rule name
(5) Set a start date and time in the past
(6) Check "Sell only to registered accounts"
(7) Add "employee" to the customer tags
(8) Set the action for employees under Action (when pre-ordering)
Here, we'll make the following settings.
- Cart button text: any text of your choice
- Product message: any text of your choice
(9) Set the employee discount rate in Purchase Option
Here, we'll make the following settings.
- Enable purchase option: check the box
- Pre-order plan name: any text of your choice
- Discount: select "Percentage" and enter 20%
(10) Click "Save"
Step 3: Apply the rule to the products for the employee discount
(1) Click "Products" in the left menu
(2) From the pre-order product list page, select the product you want to apply the pre-order rule to
(3) Click "Apply rule" displayed at the bottom of the screen
(4) From the pop-up that appears, select the pre-order rule you created
(5) Click "Apply"
Step 4: Test the behavior
(1) Access the target product with an employee account
(2) Confirm that the employee discount price is displayed
(3) Access the target product with an account other than an employee's
(4) Confirm that it's sold at the regular price
Once you've confirmed that the Shopify app works as intended, the setup is complete.
In closing
Introducing in-house sales with Shopify is an effective way to improve employee satisfaction and increase product awareness within the company. By using the discount feature or the "RuffRuff 予約販売" app introduced here, you can easily implement employee-only discounts. Choose the method that fits your company's needs and run your in-house sales program efficiently. Continue leveraging Shopify's features and apps to build an even better in-house sales system going forward.
Lastly, the blog article below introduces representative discount strategies you can implement on Shopify. Find the strategy that best fits your store and get a head start on boosting sales.
