How to Set Up Promotions and Discount Rules in PrestaShop

Attracting customers and increasing average order value (AOV) are key goals for any e-commerce store operating in the EU. Frequently, merchants rush to purchase expensive and heavy third-party add-ons to launch simple campaigns. As we discussed in our article about the Frankenstein Store, stacking unnecessary modules slows down your website and leads to software conflicts.

The good news is that PrestaShop comes equipped with exceptionally powerful built-in promotion tools out of the box. In this practical guide, we will show you how to configure the three main types of promotions in the platform, how to manage them correctly, and how to comply with EU consumer laws on price reductions.

Where Are Promotions Managed in PrestaShop?

All main discounts and promotional rules are managed from the main menu of the admin panel: Catalog ➔ Discounts (Catalog ➔ Discounts).

The platform splits promotions into two primary classes:

1. Cart Rules (Cart Rules) – voucher codes, coupons, and automatic free gifts.
2. Catalog Price Rules (Catalog Price Rules) – store-wide or category-wide sales applied directly to product prices.

1. Cart Rules – Discount Codes and Vouchers

Cart rules are the most common choice for marketing campaigns. They allow you to generate promo codes (e.g., WELCOME10 or FREESHIP) that customers enter at checkout.

To create a cart rule, go to Catalog ➔ Discounts ➔ Cart Rules and click the Add new cart rule button. The configuration is divided into three tabs:

Tab A: Information

Here you define the name of the promotion (which the customer will see) and set up the code itself.

• Name: A description of the promotion (e.g., "Welcome -10% Off"). This name appears in the cart when applied.
• Code: Click the Generate button to create a random string, or enter your own custom code. If you leave this field blank, the discount applies automatically to all customers who meet the conditions.
• Highlight: If enabled, PrestaShop displays the code in the shopping cart as a reminder for the customer to use it.

Tab B: Conditions

Here you define the scope of the campaign – who can use it, when it is active, and what the minimum requirements are.

• Valid: Set the start and end dates and times for the campaign.
• Minimum amount: The minimum order value required to activate the discount. For Eurozone stores, pricing should be configured in euros.
• Total available: The maximum number of times this code can be used store-wide (e.g., limited to the first 100 customers).
• Total available for each user: How many times a single customer can use this promotion (usually set to 1).
• Restrictions: You can limit the promotion to specific countries, carriers, customer groups (e.g., B2B only), or selected product categories.

Tab C: Actions

Here you configure what the customer actually receives when the rule is triggered.

• Free shipping: A highly effective tool to boost conversion rates, especially when combined with a minimum order threshold (e.g., "Free shipping for orders over €50").
• Apply a discount: Select between:
  • Percent (%) – a percentage reduction (e.g., 10%).
  • Amount – a fixed currency amount reduction (e.g., €5).
  • None – no direct monetary discount (used when only offering free shipping or a gift).
• Send a free gift: Automatically appends a selected product to the cart as a free gift.

2. Catalog Price Rules – Seasonal and Category Sales

Catalog price rules are used for mass campaigns (e.g., "-20% off all backpacks for the Back to School season"). No code is required here. Customers see the discounted price directly on the product listings and detail pages with a crossed-out original price.

To set this up, navigate to Catalog ➔ Discounts ➔ Catalog Price Rules and select Add new catalog price rule.

• Name: An internal description of the rule.
• Currency, Country, Group: Allows you to target specific markets. For example, you can create a rule that applies only to customers in Germany or only to B2B customer groups.
• From quantity: The discount can be set to activate only when purchasing X or more units.
• Reduction type: Percentage (%) or fixed amount.
• Reduction: The value of the discount.
• Add a new condition group: Restrict the rule to apply only to a specific category, manufacturer (brand), supplier, or product attribute.

3. Specific Prices for Single Products

If you want to discount only one or two specific products, you do not need to create global catalog rules. Instead, go to the product page via Catalog ➔ Products, open the Pricing tab, scroll down to the Specific prices section, and click Add a specific price.

This method is ideal for quick corrections on single items while retaining the same flexibility to restrict the discount by country, currency, customer group, and date range.

How to Comply with the EU Omnibus Directive on Price Reductions

When planning discounts for the European market, it is critical to comply with consumer protection regulations, specifically the EU Omnibus Directive (Directive (EU) 2019/2161).

What does the directive require?

Any announcement of a price reduction must indicate the prior price applied by the merchant. The prior price is defined as the lowest price applied by the merchant during a period of time not shorter than 30 days prior to the application of the price reduction.

• The Risk: Regional consumer protection authorities (such as the DGCCRF in France or local regulators in Germany and Eastern Europe) issue heavy fines for fake discounts (e.g., inflating the price for a day or two and then announcing a "discount").
• PrestaShop Solution: When setting up specific prices or catalog rules for seasonal campaigns, ensure the base price has been stable for at least 30 days. Work with your developers to display the "lowest price in the last 30 days" alongside the discount tag on your product templates.

You can read more about EU-wide regulatory requirements in our article on The Withdrawal Button in PrestaShop: Complying with EU Directive 2023/2673.

Conclusion

Configuring discounts and promo codes is a native superpower of PrestaShop that requires zero third-party modules. Combining Cart Rules and Catalog Price Rules gives you the ultimate freedom to run complex marketing campaigns.

If you need professional setup, automation of your seasonal campaigns, or integration of compliance tools for the Omnibus Directive, the GS Vision team is here to help as a certified PrestaShop partner.