Automated promo codes enhance the customer experience by eliminating the need for manual code entry when checking out with a discount. They also reduce the likelihood of errors, ensuring that eligible customers receive their discounts without any friction during the checkout process.

Overview of Discount and Promo Code Features

Arketa allows you to:

Create automatic discounts or promo codes.
Target discounts to specific groups (e.g., members, staff, or tagged clients).
Restrict discounts to specific events, services, or retail items.
Automate discount eligibility using tags and workflows.

Member Perks, a feature in Arketa, are automated discounts or privileges tied to active subscriptions. Unlike traditional discounts, these perks follow the billing cycle of the subscription, ensuring continuous benefits as long as the subscription remains active.

How to build an automated discount?

Go to "Settings --> Discounts"
Select "Add New"
Create the code and fill out the fields
Under specify code use you can select what this discount would be eligible for:
Gift cards
Types of classes
In-person
Live stream
On demand videos
Private sessions
Events
Packages, subscriptions, and communities
Classes
Service templates
Retail/shop
Under specify customer eligibility select how what specific customers are eligible for the discount, either individuals, tagged customers or those with any particular active membership.
Click "Save changes"7. Define the discount name, percentage, and activation date.
Turn off "Applies to all products and services" to restrict the discount to specific events or services.
For subscription discounts, set "Limit to months" to 1 to apply only to the first month.

Adjust the scope of the discount to include only specific events where it should apply and exclude events where it is not intended. Navigate to Settings → Discounts, select the relevant discount, and click Edit to make these changes.
Test the discount configuration with a member account to ensure proper application.

What are our favorite use cases for an automatic discount

Member discounts: By building special discounts for your members you can incentivize them to buy memberships. Examples include: 10% off all retail. 15% off workshops + retreats etc.
Discounts for friends + family: Build a special discount for special groups such as veterans, friends + family etc. for 20% off specific items so they can feel special every time they checkout without using a promo code.
Retail discounts for team members: Make those who support your business feel special but offering them 50% off retail or 20% off private training sessions.
Applying discount for Events: A great way to give member's a discount for an event or give clients a discount on booking an event early 😊- Blue light discounts: Use tags and workflows to automatically apply discounts for groups like veterans or first responders.
Temporary discounts: Create time-limited discounts and advertise the timeframe externally.
Teacher/staff discounts: Automate discounts for staff using workflows to tag eligible clients.

100% off for specific member tiers: Offer full discounts on workshops or service categories for specific membership tiers to enhance member benefits.

Understanding "Specify Customer Eligibility" — Specific Pricing Options

When setting up an automated discount, you can restrict it to customers who have purchased a specific pricing option — for example, only clients who bought a particular membership or summer pack. This is done under Specify customer eligibility → Specific pricing options.

However, it's important to know that only active, visible memberships (subscriptions) appear in this selector. The following pricing option types will not appear:

Class packs (non-recurring packages) — one-time purchase packs are not supported in the eligibility picker
Hidden pricing options — if a pricing option has been set to hidden, it will not appear in the list
Date-limited or expired pricing options — packages with a purchase window (e.g., available June–September only) may not appear if they are outside their active sale period
Bundles — bundle pricing options are not available as eligibility criteria in this selector

Additionally, Member Perks discounts do not auto-apply to one-time (non-recurring) memberships or packs. For example, if a product is sold as a single payment (e.g., a 1-year unlimited membership), Member Perks will not automatically apply.

💡 Tip: If your intended pricing option isn't showing up, check that it is a recurring subscription, is set to visible (not hidden), and is currently within its active sale window. If you need to restrict a discount to class pack or bundle purchasers, consider using a manual promo code shared directly with those clients or leveraging tags and workflows to grant perks based on specific purchase criteria. Use workflows to automatically tag clients based on purchases, such as buying a specific membership.

Additionally, test discount configurations with a member account that mirrors the eligibility criteria. Use service categories to simplify access management and avoid manual adjustments for each class or event.

What to do if your pricing option isn't appearing

Go to Setup → Pricing and locate the pricing option you want to use.
Confirm it is a subscription/membership type (not a class pack or bundle).
Check that the pricing option is set to visible — hidden options will not appear in the eligibility selector.
If the pricing option has a date-limited purchase window, confirm that window is currently open.
If you need to target clients who purchased a class pack or bundle, use a manual promo code and share it directly with eligible clients.6. Verify that the client profile used at checkout matches the discount’s eligibility criteria.
Check for duplicate accounts and consolidate them if necessary.7. Edit the pricing option and adjust its redeemability settings to restrict it to specific class templates under the "Advanced" settings.
Review the access rules for existing pricing options and exclude service types used by specific series in the "Advanced Access Settings."
Check that tags on the discount match the tags on the member profile to ensure proper application.
Review promo code settings under Setup → Promo Codes to prevent unintended discounts by adjusting or removing settings linked to memberships, tags, or client groups.## Best Practices for Testing and Validation

Always test discount configurations with a test account that mirrors the eligibility criteria.
Use categories and service types to simplify access management and avoid manual adjustments for each class or event.
Regularly review discount and pricing settings to ensure they align with your current offerings and policies.