About discounts

The GraphQL Admin API enables you to create and manage Shopify discounts.

You can create discounts that are either applied automatically, or applied with discount codes.

The following table describes the different discount methods you can use as part of your app using the GraphQL Admin API:

Visit the Shopify Help Center to learn about the limitations and considerations that apply to each discount type:

• Automatic discounts
• Code discounts

To use discount-related GraphQL mutations when building with the GraphQL Admin API, your app needs to request the following access scopes for a Shopify store:

Shopify Functions enable you to create discount functionality that isn't offered out of the box with Shopify. For example, a discount function can be used to create volume discounts with different discount rates upon hitting specified volume breakpoints.

An app developer creates and deploys an app with a function that defines a new discount type. A user can then install the app on a Shopify store and create a new discount from a discount type provided by the app. Shopify executes the function to calculate the discount when a customer adds a product to their cart.

Discount classes are similar to native discount types. You can create one or more discount classes as part of your app using Shopify Functions.

The following table describes the different discount classes in detail:

Explore the following resources to manage discounts in your app. Use mutations to craft, modify, and remove discounts, and use queries to retrieve detailed listings.

The following table outlines some common mutations for creating, updating, and deleting automatic discounts:

The following table outlines some common mutations for creating, updating, and deleting code discounts:

The following table outlines some common queries for interacting with automatic and code discounts.

Developers creating a merchant-facing UI to manage function-powered discounts have the option to use either a UI extension or a Remix App UI. Each method provides distinct advantages and is appropriate for different scenarios.

Admin UI extensions provide a way to extend the Shopify admin with custom user interfaces built using Shopify’s UI components. This method is great for simpler interfaces that integrate tightly with Shopify’s existing UI.

Benefits:

• The developer is only responsible for building the UI for discount controls that are specific to their discount function (e.g. managing metafield values for discount percentage).
• UI for common discount fields such as active dates, and customer eligibility are provided by the discount page.
• Developers don't need to manage GraphQL requests to create or save discounts because the UI extension integrates with the discount page's save bar when values are updated.
• Shopify hosts the UI code when apps are deployed, so developers don't need to build, deploy, and maintain web servers.

Use Cases:

• Ideal for adding simple form inputs to the discount page to manage quantities and discount amounts for a volume discount app.

Remix app UI allows developers to build dynamic and interactive user interfaces that manage the entire discount details page using the Remix framework. This approach is suited for creating complex discount functionality.

Benefits:

• Developers can customize the entire discount configuration page.

Considerations:

• Involves a higher complexity and a steeper learning curve.
• Involves the developer being responsible for all GraphQL queries and mutations to create and update discounts, including all required fields.

Use Cases:

• Ideal for creating detailed discount pages with custom forms and features as the developer prefers.

By understanding the differences between these two approaches, developers can choose the most appropriate method based on their specific needs and the complexity of the discount functionality they are planning to implement.

• The maximum number of automatic app discounts for each store is 25.
• Shopify Functions limitations apply.

Follow the getting started tutorials to learn how to customize and extend discounts:

Build a discount function with an Admin UI extension

Create a discount with an Admin UI extension that allows merchants to create and apply discounts to orders.

Build a product discount function

Create a new "Volume discount" that offers a percentage off when customers purchase more than the minimum quantity of a product.

Build a discount UI with Remix

Create a discount UI with Remix that allows merchants to create and apply discounts to orders.

Build a discounts allocator function

Create a discounts allocator function that allocates discounts to products in a cart.

Explore the following developer tools and resources to learn more about building with Shopify Functions:

Shopify App Bridge

Build your user interface using components from Shopify App Bridge library.

Discount React library

Explore a set of React components for building a discount form page.

Input queries and metafields

Make your code reusable by replacing hard-coded variables in your function with metafield values.

Shopify Functions

Customize the backend logic that powers parts of Shopify.