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Promotion actions define what happens when a promotion is applied. Once a promotion’s rules are met (if any), its actions are either triggered automatically at checkout or when applying the coupon code on checkout. Actions can apply discounts, add items to the cart, or make shipping free - and each action can be customized further using various calculators.

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Available Promotion Actions

Here are the actions you can apply to a promotion in Spree:

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Create Whole-Order Adjustment

Applies a discount to the entire order total. This is ideal for:
  • Sitewide sales (e.g., 10% off everything)
  • Cart value promotions (e.g., $20 off orders over $100)

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Create Per-Line-Item Adjustment

Applies a discount individually to eligible line items in the order. This is best used when:
  • You want to discount only certain products or product groups
  • You’re combining with Product, Taxon, or Option Value rules
Each qualifying item will receive a proportional discount based on the calculator settings.

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Create Line Items

Automatically adds products to the customer’s cart when the promotion applies. Common uses:
  • “Buy X, get Y free” campaigns
  • Gift-with-purchase offers
  • Sample distribution
You’ll be able to:
  • Select the variant(s) to add
  • Set the quantity
  • Combine with other actions to set price rules (e.g., set to free or discounted)

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Free Shipping

Makes all shipments in the order free. Best used when:
  • Offering free shipping above a certain threshold
  • Running promotional periods with free delivery
This action zeroes out the shipping cost - no calculator needed.

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Configuring Actions with Calculators

Most actions (except Free Shipping) support the use of calculators to control how the discount is applied. The available calculators are as follows:
  • Flat Rate - Apply a fixed discount amount (e.g., $10 off)
  • Flat Percent - Apply a percentage discount (e.g., 15% off)
  • Flexible Rate - Apply a base discount + per-item amount
  • Tiered Flat Rate - Different flat discounts based on order value or item count
  • Tiered Percent - Varying percentage discounts based on thresholds
Example: A tiered flat rate could apply $5 off orders over $50, and $10 off orders over $100. You’ll choose a calculator when you add the action. The fields shown will depend on the calculator type selected.

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Notes on Behavior

  • You can add multiple actions to the same promotion (e.g., discount + free shipping).
  • Changes to actions are saved immediately after adding or updating them.
  • Actions apply only after all rules (if any) are satisfied.

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Example Use Cases

GoalAction(s)Calculator
$10 off entire orderWhole-order adjustmentFlat Rate
20% off selected productsPer-line-item adjustmentFlat Percent
Add a free tote bag on orders $50+Create line items, Whole-order adjustmentFlat Rate (set to price of added line item)
Free shipping on all ordersFree shipping–