Create modifier promotions

Who is this article for?

• Gegsy merchants who want to discount modifiers automatically, such as "2 free add-ons on Tuesdays" or "50% off extras."
• Anyone with the Promotions permission for the account.

About promotions

Promotions are automatic discounts on modifiers. Unlike coupons, customers don't enter a code: when an order qualifies, the discount is applied at checkout on your Gegsy storefront and branded mobile app. Square can't discount modifiers on their own, so Gegsy works out the discount and sends it to Square as a named discount on the item. Your Square reports show the promotion by name, and the customer sees it on their receipt.

Promotions don't apply at your Square POS or on Square Online.

Before you begin

• Promotions are available on the Pro and Premium plans. See https://gegsy.com/pricing. If you move to a plan without Promotions, your promotions stop applying but are kept, and they start working again when you upgrade.
• You need the Promotions permission to open Marketing → Promotions. Account owners have it by default and can grant it to employees.
• Your modifiers come from Square. Sync your menu first so your modifier lists and prices are up to date. See Set up modifiers and variation defaults.
• Only modifiers that cost something can be discounted. A free modifier has nothing to discount, and a modifier that's already a discount (a negative price in Square) can't be discounted again.

Open the promotions list

Open Marketing → Promotions (https://app.gegsy.com/marketing/promotions). The list has two tabs:

• Active — your promotions, whether they're turned on or paused.
• Archived — promotions you've archived, where you can Restore them.

Each row shows the Promotion name, its Deal, When it runs, an Active toggle, and row Actions. To start a new promotion, select Add promotion.

If a promotion shows a No priced modifiers badge, none of the modifiers it covers cost anything right now (for example, the prices changed in Square), so it isn't discounting anything. Edit it to pick priced modifiers.

Create a promotion

1. On the Active tab, select Add promotion.
2. Fill in each section below. The Summary on the right shows the promotion in plain language, such as "2 free modifiers per order" and "Tue · 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM".
3. Select Save promotion. Until everything required is filled in, the Summary lists what's still missing under Before you can save:, and Save promotion stays unavailable.

A new promotion is turned on as soon as you save it. It applies whenever its schedule is open.

You can also start from a modifier list: open Menu → Modifiers, open a list, and select Create promotion. The new promotion starts with that list already selected. The button only appears on lists that have a priced modifier.

Name

• Promotion name — customers see this name on their receipt next to the discount. Up to 60 characters.

Modifiers

Pick whole modifier lists or individual modifiers. Search by list or modifier name, and select Choose modifiers to see what's in a list.

• Select a whole list to cover every priced modifier in it, including modifiers you add to it later.
• Select individual modifiers to cover only those.
• Each list shows how many of its modifiers are priced, for example "3 of 4 priced." A list where Nothing in this list has a price can't be selected.
• Each modifier shows its price. Free modifiers are marked "Free, so there's nothing to discount," and discount modifiers are marked "Already a discount, so it can't be discounted again." Neither can be selected.
• If a modifier is free at some locations and priced at others, it shows Free at followed by those locations. The promotion only discounts it where it has a price.

Below the lists, Which items limits the promotion to certain items:

• Any item — covered modifiers are discounted on every item.
• Only items in certain categories — choose the categories.
• Only certain items — choose the items.

Deal

Choose the Type of deal:

• Free modifiers — set How many are free.
• Percent off — the percent taken off each covered modifier.
• Amount off — the amount taken off each covered modifier. A modifier never goes below free.
• Set price — the price each covered modifier is charged. Modifiers that already cost this much or less aren't changed.

For Percent off, Amount off, and Set price, you can turn on Limit how many modifiers get the deal and enter the Most modifiers that get the deal. Free modifiers always have a limit: the number you set.

When there's a limit, choose how to Count the limit:

• Per item — every item gets its own allowance. 3 pizzas with "2 free" get up to 6 free.
• Per order — one allowance for the whole order, whichever items the modifiers are on. With "2 free per order," extra cheese on a pizza and bacon on a burger can both be free.

Then choose what happens When there are more modifiers than the limit:

• Discount the cheapest ones first (the default).
• Discount the most expensive ones first.

This is worked out automatically at checkout; customers don't choose. For example, with "2 free per order" and bacon ($2.00), extra cheese ($1.00) and mushrooms ($0.75) in the cart, cheapest-first makes the mushrooms and cheese free, and most-expensive-first makes the bacon and cheese free. A modifier the customer picks twice counts twice, and so does a modifier on an item they order two of.

Schedule

Days and times use each location's time zone.

• Every day — turn this off to pick specific days.
• Only at certain times — set when the promotion Starts and Ends. An end time earlier than the start runs past midnight, for example 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM.
• Start date (optional) and End date (optional) — limit the promotion to a date range.

Where

• Locations — leave All locations checked, or uncheck it to choose specific locations.
• Ordering channels — choose Mobile app, Online ordering website, or both.
• Can be combined with coupons — on by default, so customers who use a coupon get the promotion too. Turn it off to keep the promotion separate: if a customer uses a coupon, the coupon applies and this promotion doesn't, and customers see Can't be combined with coupons on the deal.

What customers see

While a promotion is running, customers see it before they reach the cart, on your online ordering website and in your branded app:

• On the menu — items with a deal show one deal's name, plus +1 more (or more) when several apply.
• On the item — a deals card lists each deal with when it runs, and each covered modifier is marked. For a percent off, amount off, or set price with no limit, the modifier shows its new price next to the old one. For free modifiers and limited deals, the modifier list shows a short note such as Up to 2 free per item, and each covered modifier has a tag icon, because which ones end up discounted depends on the rest of the order.
• In the cart and on the receipt — the discount appears under the promotion's name.

Promotions only show while their schedule is open at the customer's selected location, and only on the ordering channels you chose.

Turn a promotion on or off

Use the Active toggle on the promotions list. A paused promotion stays on the Active tab but doesn't discount anything.

When you turn a promotion back on, Gegsy checks its modifiers again. If none of them cost anything anymore, it can't be turned on until you edit it and pick priced modifiers.

Edit a promotion

Select the pencil icon (Edit) on a promotion's row, make your changes, and select Save promotion. Changes apply to new orders within about a minute.

Archive or restore a promotion

1. Select the archive icon (Archive) on a promotion's row.
2. In Archive this promotion?, select Archive. The promotion stops applying to orders right away.

To bring one back, open the Archived tab and select Restore. A restored promotion is paused until you turn it on.

How promotions work with other discounts

• One promotion per modifier. If more than one promotion covers the same modifier, the customer gets the bigger discount. They don't add up.
• Coupons can be used on an order that has a promotion, and by default the customer gets both. A coupon that takes a percentage off the whole order is worked out on full prices, so it also takes that percentage off modifiers the promotion already discounted. To keep a promotion separate from coupons, turn off Can be combined with coupons.
• Group orders get promotions too. When everyone pays for themselves, each person's order gets the deal on its own; when the organizer pays, the deal is worked out on the combined order. A "per order" limit counts per paying order.