Designing Profitable Promotions: A Merchant’s Playbook for Shopify (2025)

Discounts can grow revenue—or silently drain profit. The difference is design. In this post we’ll share a practical playbook for structuring volume, tiered, bundle/BOGO, and order-level offers so you increase average order value (AOV) without eroding margin. We’ll also explain how priority and stacking affect eligibility and outcomes in the cart so you always know what will apply—and why.

The Two Goals Your Promotions Must Balance

• Lift: more units per order and higher AOV.
• Control: predictable spend, clean cart behavior, and simple customer experience.

Every tactic below defines both sides. Keep the balance, and your promos will help—not hurt—profit.

Core Building Blocks

Atom Commerce evaluates offers by class and priority. In short: item-level discounts are evaluated first, then order-level, then shipping. Within a class, higher-priority offers evaluate before lower-priority offers. A product line receives at most one item-level discount. Compatible order-level or shipping offers may still apply when combinations are allowed. See Offer Priority & Stacking for the full rules and examples.

1) Volume Discounts (Buy More, Save More)

Best for: replenishable items and accessories where adding one more unit is an easy decision.

Set-up tips:

• Use simple thresholds (e.g., 3/5/8 units) and modest steps (5% → 10% → 15%).
• Scope the offer to relevant products or collections so the discount is earned, not given away.
• Pair with an order-level threshold (later in this post) if you want to nudge baskets further.

Priority/stacking: volume is an item-level discount. It will evaluate before any order-level offer. If you also run an order-level % off, that order-level discount will calculate on the post-item-discount subtotal. Whether the order-level minimum qualifies can depend on which item-level discount applied first—see the docs for examples of how evaluation order changes minimums.

2) Tiered Pricing (Spend or Quantity Tiers)

Best for: VIP-style incentives or wholesale-like pricing where shoppers plan around known breakpoints.

Set-up tips:

• Anchor the first tier close to your current AOV so most orders qualify for something, then space higher tiers to stretch the basket.
• Keep tier steps meaningful—avoid micro-steps that confuse shoppers.

Priority/stacking: tiered pricing is also an item-level pattern. As with volume, one item-level discount per line ensures clean outcomes; compatible order-level or shipping offers may still apply when combinations are allowed.

3) Bundles & BOGO

Best for: introducing new products, increasing perceived value, or moving related inventory.

Patterns to try:

• Build‑your‑own bundle: mix & match items; apply a line-level reduction when conditions are met.
• Accessory attach: buy a primary item; discount an accessory line.
• BOGO: same‑SKU or mix‑and‑match Buy X Get Y, including gift with purchase when the cart qualifies.

Priority/stacking: bundles/BOGO operate at the item class. Only one item-level discount applies per line. If you allow combinations, you can still add an order-level threshold or shipping incentive.

4) Order‑Level Threshold Offers

Best for: nudging baskets over a value you care about (free shipping threshold, margin-safe price break, etc.).

Set-up tips:

• Choose a threshold above your current AOV to grow baskets (e.g., if AOV is $62, consider $75 or $90).
• Use a single clear benefit (e.g., 10% off order, or free shipping) rather than stacking too many choices.

Priority/stacking: order-level discounts evaluate after item-level. That means their minimums are checked against the post-item-discount subtotal. If eligibility feels inconsistent, review priorities of the item-level offers that fire first.

Design Templates You Can Reuse

A) AOV Lift Without Heavy Discounts

• Item-level: volume 3+/5+/8+ units → 5%/10%/15% off (priority 90).
• Order-level: 10% off orders $90+ (priority 80).

Why it works: the volume discount raises units; the order-level threshold nudges to a target basket size. Order-level evaluates on the remaining subtotal after item discounts, so set the threshold with that in mind.

B) Launch + Attach

• Item-level: Buy any flagship SKU, get 20% off one accessory line (priority 95).
• Order-level: Free shipping $75+ (priority 80).

Why it works: the attach discount increases attachment rate; the simple shipping threshold lifts order value.

C) Seasonal Gift with Purchase

• Item-level: gift when cart meets defined conditions (priority 95).
• Order-level: 10% off orders $120+ (priority 80).

Why it works: the gift drives conversion without discounting core items; the order-level threshold stretches baskets.

How Priority & Evaluation Order Change Outcomes

Because Atom evaluates item → order → shipping, the order-level offer “sees” the subtotal after item discounts. That can change whether a minimum order value is met. For example, you might have:

• Item-level first: $150 cart → item discount applies → subtotal becomes $135 → order-level 10% off $140+ no longer qualifies.
• Order-level only: if the item discount didn’t apply, the order-level might have qualified at $150.

To make outcomes predictable, give the most important item-level offer a distinctly higher priority within its class so it evaluates first. For more, see Priority & Stacking.

Readable Offer Copy = Higher Conversion

Shoppers act when the benefit is obvious. Keep copy short and specific:

• “Buy 3+, save 10%” beats “Bulk discount available”.
• “Free shipping at $75+” beats “Free shipping on qualifying orders”.
• Show the threshold and the delta to qualify (e.g., “You’re $12 away from free shipping”).

Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)

• Too many overlapping item-level offers: remember only one item-level discount applies to a line. Use priorities to decide the winner and reduce confusion.
• Order-level minimums set on pre-discount totals: thresholds should reflect the post-item-discount subtotal that the order-level offer actually evaluates against.
• Unclear stacking expectations: decide which combinations are allowed, then communicate it so customers aren’t surprised.

A 30‑Minute Setup Checklist

1. Pick one item-level tactic: volume, tiered, or a simple BOGO.
2. Choose a single order-level threshold that stretches AOV.
3. Assign priorities so the critical item-level offer evaluates first.
4. Test a cart with edge cases (just below/above thresholds) and confirm expected behavior.
5. Add one line of clear copy to your PDP/cart explaining qualification and benefits.

Key Takeaway

You don’t need aggressive discounts to grow. Start with one clean item-level incentive, add a simple order-level threshold, and use class + priority to make outcomes predictable. That’s how you lift AOV while protecting margin.

Want help configuring your first campaign? Review the Offer Priority & Stacking guide, then set your priorities and combinations to match your goals.

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