Give every shopper one discount code with one real deadline, add it to their cart automatically, and make it work alongside Discount Mixer and other discount apps.

A code that changes every time a shopper comes back isn't a deadline. One code per shopper keeps the offer honest: same shopper, same code, same time left.

Updated October 15, 20266 min readCampaignsDenzil Sequeira

TL;DR

In your popup's Code section, set Code expires after, then open More options and turn on One code per shopper. A shopper who enters the same email again gets their original code and deadline instead of a new one. To use the code with another discount app, such as Discount Mixer, turn on Combine with other discounts here and allow combining in the other app too. It's on every plan, including Free.

What one code per shopper does

It works on popups that ask for an email and then give a code: scratch cards, spin wheels, pick a present, and email sign-up popups with a discount code.

When a shopper enters an email the popup has seen before:

Their code is still valid. They see the same code again, with the time it has left. They don't play again. You can change the message under Message when the code was already claimed.
Their code has expired. They're told the offer has ended. You can change the message under Message when the offer has ended.
They played before and didn't win. They're told they've already played.

Without it, a shopper can type their email again and get a fresh code and a fresh deadline each time.

One code per shopper is off until you turn it on. While you have a countdown bar or a product page timer, it's switched on and greyed out when you open a code popup in the editor, with Needed by your countdown. That keeps any shopper's timer from restarting. The countdown's Fed by card lists any code popup that still has it off, with a Turn on One code per shopper button.

Step 1 · Open the Code section

Open your popup in the editor and click the scratch card, spin wheel, pick a present or coupon element. Find the Code section.

Popup editor Code section with Code expires after, Combine with other discounts and More options opened

Screenshot coming soon

Step 2 · Set how long codes last

In Code expires after, type a number and choose hours or minutes.

Blank. Scratch cards and pick a present use each prize's own expiry. Other popups use 30 minutes.
Range. 1 to 720 hours (30 days), or 5 to 43,200 minutes.

Each shopper's clock starts when they get their code. The code stops working at checkout when it expires.

Step 3 · Choose your options

Turn on Combine with other discounts if shoppers should be able to use this code with your other discounts and sales. Then click More options.

Only the shopper's email can use it. On by default. The code works only when the shopper checks out with the email they entered in the popup. A guest's cart may show the code, but Shopify checks the email at checkout.
Add code to cart automatically. On by default. Shoppers see the discount in their cart without typing the code.
One code per shopper. Turn it on.
Message when the code was already claimed and Message when the offer has ended. Leave them empty to use "You already have a code. Here it is again." and "This offer has ended."

Save your popup.

Smart behaviour for all your popups

The Rules tab has a Smart behaviour card. Its switches apply to all your popups, not just this one.

One offer at a time. While a shopper has a code from one popup, your other discount popups stay hidden, so they're never offered two deals at once.
Don't ask for email twice. Shoppers who already gave you their email don't see email sign-up popups again.
Pause popups while shoppers get help. No popups for 10 minutes after a shopper opens chat, your FAQ or a size guide.

One offer at a time starts on. The other two start on for stores that installed Nudgesmart after these switches arrived, and off for stores that already had it, so nothing changes until you choose.

Show the code and its deadline on your store

Under the Code section, the Add a countdown to your store card adds a bar at the top of every page and a timer under the price on product pages. Both show each shopper their own code and real time left, styled like the popup that gave it. See How to add a countdown bar and Shopper's code timers on product pages.

Using codes with Discount Mixer and other discount apps

Discount apps such as Discount Mixer usually create product discounts: sale prices on certain products. A Nudgesmart code is usually an order discount: money off the whole order. Shopify can apply both to the same order, but only when both say they can be combined.

Allow combining in both apps

In Nudgesmart, turn on Combine with other discounts in the popup's Code section, then save.
In the other app, allow its discount to combine with order discounts. For a free-shipping code, allow it to combine with shipping discounts too. The setting is usually called "Combinations" or "Combines with".

If either one doesn't allow it, the shopper can use only one of the two discounts.

Product discounts come off first

Shopify takes product discounts off first, then takes your code off what's left.

	Amount
Product price	$100.00
After a 20% product discount	$80.00
After a 10% Nudgesmart code	$72.00

The shopper pays $72.00, not $70.00, because the 10% comes off the reduced price. Write your popup's offer with that in mind, such as "an extra 10% off".

Buy it now and express checkout

Buy it now and express buttons such as Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay go straight to checkout and skip the cart. A code added to the cart doesn't come with them, so the shopper types it at checkout. To help:

Keep the code visible on the countdown bar and product page timer (leave Don't show the code off).
Leave the copy button on, so shoppers can copy it in one tap.

The price with the code on product pages

The product page timer can show the price after your code, but that option is off by default. Nudgesmart can't see sale prices set by other apps, so the price it shows could differ from the price at checkout. Turn it on only if no other app changes your prices. It never shows a price for a code with a minimum order.

Plans

One code per shopper, the expiry setting and the countdown are on every plan: Free, Growth, Scale and Pro. On Free, one popup can be live at a time, and up to 5 widgets. A countdown bar and a product page timer count as two of those widgets.

Common pitfalls

A shopper got a second code. One code per shopper matches by email. A shopper who uses a different email gets a new code.
The code isn't in the cart on another device. The code is added to the cart in the browser where the shopper got it. On another phone or computer, they can type it at checkout until it expires.
The code didn't combine with a sale. Check Combine with other discounts is on in Nudgesmart, and that the other app allows combining with order discounts. Both are needed.
The code says it's applied, but checkout refused it. If Only the shopper's email can use it is on, the shopper has to check out with the email they entered in the popup.

How to give each shopper one code, and use it with other discount apps