This document is a guide to using the “Registration Groups as Promo Codes” module in
Certain.
Contents
Introduction
The new module, which was added in the Certain 5.5 release, is called “Registration
Groups as Promo Codes”. Why that name?
Prior to Certain 5.5, many users had been using Certain’s Registration Groups module to
handle their requirements for promo codes.
When the new module is enabled, you use a slick new Promo Code Wizard to add and edit
promo codes in four easy steps (see page 3), including creating the associated fixed or
percentage discounts.
We also introduced some new functionality, including Total Inventory and Availability.
(The latter determines when a promo code becomes available for use.)
Everything is described in this Quick Guide, but as always, there’s even more detail in the
Page Help in Certain. Click Help & Support in the top right corner, and then select
Page Help.
Note: “Under the hood” the new module still uses Groups and Agenda Items to assign the associated discounts. |
Discounts
When creating a promo code in the Promo Code Wizard, you assign one or more
discounts to it (in the Discounts step).
They are created as Fee-type agenda items and will therefore also appear under the Plan> Event
Setup > Agenda.
Enabling the Module
To enable Registration Groups as Promo Codes for an event, go to Plan > Configure >
Functional Areas Needed by This Event, and select that sub-module under the Event
Module.
Important Note: The original “Registration Groups” module and the new “Registration
Groups as Promo Codes” module are mutually exclusive: you cannot enable both
modules in the same event.
(Similarly, you cannot enable both the “Registration Groups as Promo Codes” and
“Rotations” modules in the same event.)
Using the Module
When an attendee registers with a valid promo code, the discount(s) assigned to that code
are applied to their fees. You make that possible by adding a Promo Codes section to the
registration form (see Forms page).
When the module is enabled, a Promo Codes option is available under Plan on the top
level navigation bar.
That takes you to the Promo Code List page, which displays the list of existing promo
codes.
- To search for a promotion, type any part of a Promo Name or Promo Code in the
Search by name or code text box. The list is updated dynamically as you type, to
show only the matching promo codes. - To edit an existing promotion, click the Edit icon in the Actions column, and use
the Promo Code Wizard to modify the promotion. - To create a new promotion, click the Add New button, which will launch the Promo
Code Wizard. - To view a listed of completed registrations that have used a promo code, click the View Registrations icon in the Actions column.
- To export the list of promo codes to Excel, click the Excel icon.
Promo Code Wizard
The Promo Code Wizard is where you enter or edit the details of a promo code (which you
might think of as a "promo" or "promotion").
It is displayed when you click Add New to add a promo, or to edit an existing one, and
consists of these four steps:
1. Overview
2. Discounts
3. Availability
4. Done
When adding a new promo, click Next at the end of each step to continue.
When editing an existing promo, you can skip straight to a step by clicking its name at the
top of the wizard.
Overview
Enter the basic details for the promo code.
1 - Overview
-
-
- Promo Name – A descriptive name for internal use.
- Promo Code –The code used by the attendee when registering. (Unique in the
event.) - Code Inventory – The maximum number of times this promo code may be used; up
to 999999.
Default = Unlimited. (Blank also equates to “Unlimited”.)
Caution: Entering 0 is treated as zero, not as unlimited.
Zero inventory would mean the code couldn’t be
used at all. - Attendee Types – The attendee types who can use this promo code.
-
Discounts
Select or create one or more discounts to be applied when an attendee uses this promo
code.
2 - Discounts
Discounts – Click to search for discounts, and select from the list which is then displayed.
The list of discounts is as per Plan > Event Setup > Agenda (fees with negative amounts,
that have unlimited inventory). These include any created in this wizard as custom
discounts for promo codes (including the current one).
Add Custom Discount – Click to add a new discount by completing the extra fields
displayed:
• Discount Name
• Unique Code
• Select Fixed Discount, and enter the Discount Amount. Or:
• Select Percentage Discount, and enter the Percent (%) figure.
Click Add to List. The discount record is created, and automatically added to the
Discounts field for this promo code. It is created as a Fee-type agenda item and will
therefore also appear under Plan > Event Setup > Agenda.
Availability
Specify when the promo starts and ends. It will only be available for use by attendees
during that window.
3 - Availability
Starts – Select one of the three options for when the promo becomes available:
-
-
- Now – Immediately. (The default.)
- Specified Date and Time – Select a Start Date (or enter it in mm/dd/yyyy
format), and enter a Start Time (e.g. 8:00 AM). - Before Event Start Date – Select numbers in any of these fields to determine at
what point before the event's Start Date the promo becomes available: Months,
Days, and/or Hours.
-
Ends – Similarly, select one of the three options for when the promo ends:
-
-
- When Event Ends – Availability ends on the event's End Date/Time.
- Specified Date and Time – Select an End Date (or enter it in mm/dd/yyyy
format), and enter an End Time (e.g. 8:00 AM). - Before Event Start Date – Select numbers in any of these fields to determine at
what point before the event's Start Date the promo becomes no longer available:
Months, Days, and/or Hours.
-
Done
Click Close to close the wizard, or Create New Promo to add another one
4 - Done
More Features
Imports
There are options to Import Promo Codes and Import Discounts from .csv files. (See
the Page Help for full details.)
If you will be importing Promo Codes, you may need to import Discounts first, because
the Promo Code import file must specify discount codes that already exist in the event.
Note: You can update existing Promo Codes by importing a .csv file with Promo Codes that
already exist in the event. The same applies to importing discounts to update existing
records.
Reports
To report on the use of promo codes, go to Reports/Analyze, and add a report of type
“Registration Groups with Promo Codes”.
Such a report returns one row per registration; columns and filters include all Registration
Groups as Promo Codes fields.
Forms
To enable attendees to enter a promo code in a registration form, add a Promo Codes
Section to the form.
The attendee will see a field in which they can enter a promo code. You can determine
whether that is a required field (that is, whether they must enter a promo code), and you
can configure the error messages they may see.
Two notes about where to place the Promo Codes section in the Online Form Sequence
when adding it to the form on the Form Setup page:
1. After the Attendee Type section. Promo codes are based on attendee type, so the
Promo Codes form section must come after the Attendee Type section. You can put
both on the same page, though.
(If Promo Codes was earlier in the sequence, there would be no promo codes
available to the attendee.)
2. Before the Verify and Payment sections, so that the promo code's discounts will be
applied to the fees.
Important Note: If a registration with a promo code is edited via a form, changing or re moving the promo code, any discount assigned with the original promo code will not be removed; the planner will need to remove it on the admin side. |
Discounts Assigned via Forms
Two notes about discounts assigned via promo codes.
1. Assigning Discounts
Discounts tied to promo codes are only assigned to a registration when the registrant
enters a promo code on an attendee form.
Warning: If a planner assigns a promo code to a registration via the admin interface, then any associated discounts are not added – the planner must assign them manually. |
2. Removing Assigned Discounts
When discounts have been assigned to a registration because they're tied to a promo code,
they are removed automatically only if the registrant changes the promo code on an
attendee form.
Warning: If a planner changes a registrant's promo code via the admin interface, that action does not remove the assigned discounts – the planner must remove them manually. |
Best Practices
Some suggested best practices:
- Make the names of discounts self-explanatory, including the percentage or $
amount. They’re what you see when searching for discounts to apply to new promo
codes. - When you have created a discount in the Promo Code Wizard, do not change its
inventory by editing it in Plan > Event Setup > Agenda. - Nor should you modify the fee expiration date there, making it expired; otherwise
the appropriate discount will not be applied. - Do not add more than one percentage discount to a promo code.
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