--- title: "Discounts" description: "A non-technical ecosystem overview of Discounts in RevCent, focused on how a Discount item is created when a Sale includes a manual discount entry or an applicable Coupon, how Discounts reduce purchase amounts before payment, and how they connect to Sales, Product Sales, Customers, Shipping, Subscriptions, Trials, payments, Shops, Campaigns, and reporting across the RevCent relationship graph." type: "item" company: "RevCent" canonical: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/ecosystem/item/Discount.md" relationships: - name: "Sale" url: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/ecosystem/item/Sale.md" - name: "Product Sale" url: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/ecosystem/item/ProductSale.md" - name: "Customer" url: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/ecosystem/item/Customer.md" - name: "Shipping" url: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/ecosystem/item/Shipping.md" - name: "Subscription" url: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/ecosystem/item/Subscription.md" - name: "Subscription Renewal" url: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/ecosystem/item/SubscriptionRenewal.md" - name: "Trial" url: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/ecosystem/item/Trial.md" - name: "Campaign" url: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/ecosystem/feature/Campaign.md" - name: "Third Party Shop" url: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/ecosystem/feature/ThirdPartyShop.md" technical_links: web_app: "https://kb.revcent.com/en/payments/discount" api: section: "https://revcent.com/docs/api/v2#section-discount" operations: - name: "Get Discounts" operation_id: "GetDiscounts" operation: "https://revcent.com/docs/api/v2#operation-GetDiscounts" schema: "https://revcent.com/documentation/files/api/operation/GetDiscounts.json" - name: "Get A Discount" operation_id: "GetDiscount" operation: "https://revcent.com/docs/api/v2#operation-GetDiscount" schema: "https://revcent.com/documentation/files/api/operation/GetDiscount.json" mcp: overview: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/mcp/operation/OverviewDiscount.md" operations: - name: "Get Discounts" operation_id: "GetDiscounts" markdown: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/mcp/operation/GetDiscounts.md" available_via_ai: true - name: "Get A Discount" operation_id: "GetDiscount" markdown: "https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/mcp/operation/GetDiscount.md" available_via_ai: true bigquery_schema: "https://revcent.com/documentation/files/bigquery/dataset.json" bigquery_tables: - "discount" --- # Discounts A Discount in RevCent is the item that records an amount deducted from a purchase before payment. A Discount item is created when a Sale includes a discount entry and the Sale is successfully processed. A Discount can also be created when an applicable RevCent Coupon supplies the discount. The resulting item preserves why and by how much the purchase amount was reduced. At the simplest level: ```text Sale includes a manual discount entry or applicable Coupon ↓ RevCent calculates the reduction ↓ RevCent creates a Discount item ↓ The Discount remains connected to the Sale and its related commerce records ``` This distinction is important: the discount entry is the instruction supplied during the Sale, while the Discount item is the historical record created from that instruction. ## Why Discounts Are an Item Discounts are an item because each Discount represents a specific reduction applied to real commerce activity. A Discount is not only a number inside an order total. It can have its own ID, amount, percentage, name, Coupon context, Customer, Shop, and relationships to the Sale, Product Sales, Shipping, payments, Subscriptions, Subscription Renewals, Trials, and other records. That makes a Discount useful for both operational review and business analysis. The distinction between configuration, request input, and historical result is: | Concept | Meaning | |---|---| | Coupon | Reusable promotional configuration and code with discount rules. | | Discount entry | A fixed-amount or percentage instruction included in a Sale request. | | Discount item | The historical record RevCent creates after the discount is applied. | ## Core Purpose The core purpose of a Discount is to preserve the reason and value of a purchase reduction. Discounts help a business understand: - How much was deducted before payment. - Whether the reduction was entered manually or came from a Coupon. - Whether the reduction was a fixed amount or a percentage. - Which Sale and Customer received the reduction. - Which Products, Product Sales, or Shipping charges were affected. - Whether the Discount was connected to an initial Sale, Subscription Renewal, or Trial expiration. - Which Campaign or Third Party Shop produced the discounted purchase. - How promotions affect gross revenue, net revenue, product performance, and customer value. Without a separate Discount item, the business might see that a customer paid less without being able to explain or analyze why. ## Where Discounts Fit in the RevCent Ecosystem Discounts are financial adjustment items inside the commerce graph. Conceptually: ```text Customer ↓ Sale ├─ Product Sales ├─ Shipping ├─ Tax ├─ Discount item(s) └─ Payment records ↓ Subscription / Trial / Renewal and later lifecycle activity ``` A Discount can connect backward to the manual entry or Coupon that caused it, sideways to the Sale and its components, and forward to Subscription, Trial, renewal, payment, support, automation, and reporting context. ## Technical Links | Area | Link | |---|---| | Web App / Knowledge Base | `https://kb.revcent.com/en/payments/discount` | | API | `https://revcent.com/docs/api/v2#section-discount` | | MCP | `https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/mcp/operation/OverviewDiscount.md` | | BigQuery Table | `discount` | These links identify where Discounts are represented technically. This ecosystem document remains focused on their meaning, purpose, relationships, and business value. ## How Discounts Are Created Discount items are outcomes of commerce activity. They are not normally created as independent records. The most direct creation path is: ```text A Sale contains one or more discount entries ↓ Each entry specifies an amount or percentage reduction ↓ RevCent calculates and applies the reduction ↓ When the Sale is processed, a Discount item is created ↓ The new Discount ID is related to the Sale and other affected items ``` A discount entry can be supplied from: - The RevCent web app when a user manually applies a discount during Sale creation. - A direct API or MCP `CreateSale` request. - A pending or estimated Sale flow that is later processed. - A custom storefront or internal order-entry system. - An authorized AI workflow creating a Sale. - A Third Party Shop integration that sends discount context to RevCent. The Sale creation schema supports multiple discount entries. Each entry requires: - a discount type of `amount` or `percent`, and - a discount value appropriate for that type. An entry can also include a name and description and can control whether the reduction applies to Products, Shipping, or both. ## Manual Discounts A manual Discount begins as a static discount entry on a Sale. For example: ```text Discount type: amount Discount value: 10 Name: Customer service credit ``` If the Sale is successfully processed, RevCent creates a Discount item representing the actual reduction. Manual Discounts are useful for: - customer service accommodations, - negotiated pricing, - retention offers, - employee or partner pricing, - one-time promotions, - price matching, - correcting a checkout amount before payment. Because the resulting Discount is connected to the Sale, the business can later distinguish reduced revenue from standard pricing. ## Coupon-Generated Discounts A Coupon is reusable configuration. A Discount is the historical result when that Coupon is applied. Conceptually: ```text Business creates Coupon rules and a code ↓ Customer or authorized workflow submits the code ↓ RevCent validates the Coupon against the purchase context ↓ The Coupon supplies a discount ↓ RevCent creates a Discount item for the applied reduction ``` One Coupon can be used on many purchases. Each successful use can create a separate Discount item. This makes it possible to analyze the real financial effect of the Coupon instead of only inspecting its configuration. Coupon-generated Discounts can occur during an initial Sale, a Subscription Renewal, or a Trial expiration when the Coupon settings allow that use. ## Amount and Percentage Discounts RevCent supports two primary discount types. | Type | Meaning | Example | |---|---|---| | `amount` | Deduct a fixed monetary amount. | Deduct $10 from the eligible amount. | | `percent` | Deduct a percentage of the eligible amount. | Deduct 20% from the eligible amount. | The request value describes the instruction. The created Discount preserves the calculated result, including the total discount amount and its percentage of the purchase amount. This matters because a 20% instruction can produce different monetary reductions on different Sales, while a fixed $10 instruction can represent different percentages of different Sales. ## Relationship to Sales The Sale is the central parent commerce event for a Discount. When a Sale has a discount entry, the Discount item records how that entry changed the amount due before payment. The Sale exposes related Discount IDs, and each ID can be retrieved individually. At a high level: ```text Products + Shipping + Tax - Discounts = amount due before payment outcomes ``` The exact calculation depends on which parts of the Sale are eligible for the Discount, but the relationship remains the same: the Sale explains the full purchase, and the Discount explains the reduction. This relationship helps support and finance teams answer: - What was the original purchase context? - How much was reduced? - Why was it reduced? - Which Discount record caused the reduced total? - Was the reduction manual or Coupon-driven? ## Relationship to Product Sales and Products Discounts can apply to Products purchased in a Sale. Product Sales are the individual purchased line items. A Discount can be related to the Products and Product Sales whose prices contributed to the eligible amount. This relationship supports product-level questions such as: - Which Products are most frequently discounted? - How much revenue does a Product retain after Discounts? - Which promotional offer produces the best product-level results? - Are discounts concentrated on one SKU, bundle, trial offer, or subscription Product? - Do heavily discounted Products later produce durable subscription revenue? Product-level relationship visibility prevents the Discount from becoming an unexplained Sale-level adjustment. ## Relationship to Shipping A discount entry can be configured to apply to Shipping, Products, or both. This allows a business to represent offers such as: - free shipping, - a fixed reduction to shipping cost, - a percentage off the whole eligible purchase, - a product-only discount that leaves shipping unchanged, - a shipping-only discount that leaves product pricing unchanged. The Shipping relationship is important for profitability. A customer-facing free-shipping offer still has a fulfillment cost, so the Discount and Shipping items should be analyzed together. ## Relationship to Customers Discounts are connected to the Customer who received the reduced purchase amount. Customer relationship visibility helps answer: - Which Customers receive manual concessions? - Which Customers use Coupons? - Do discounted first purchases lead to repeat purchases or Subscriptions? - Are retention discounts preserving valuable customer relationships? - How do Discounts affect customer lifetime value? Discount records give customer support historical context without requiring the team to reconstruct the original checkout. ## Relationship to Subscriptions and Subscription Renewals Discounts can be connected to Subscription activity. A Coupon or promotional rule may apply to an initial subscription Sale, one or more future Subscription Renewals, or both. When a renewal receives a reduction, the Discount item helps preserve the economics of that specific billing cycle. This matters because recurring revenue should be evaluated after Discounts, refunds, fees, and other adjustments rather than only at its undiscounted price. Discount relationship visibility helps businesses understand: - whether a Discount was limited to the initial purchase, - how many renewal cycles received a Coupon benefit, - which retention offers kept Subscriptions active, - what net recurring value remained after the reduction, - whether discounted subscribers remain valuable over time. ## Relationship to Trials Discounts can also connect to Trial activity. A Discount may affect the initial trial Sale, the Trial expiration payment, or the later Subscription lifecycle, depending on the offer and Coupon configuration. This relationship helps distinguish apparent trial conversion from profitable trial conversion. A trial funnel may have strong conversion volume but weaker economics after Discounts, refunds, failed payments, Shipping, and support costs. ## Relationship to Payments A Discount changes the amount due before the payment is processed or recorded. It can therefore be related to payment records such as: - credit card Transactions, - PayPal Transactions, - Offline Payments, - direct checks, - salvage and recovery activity connected to the same commerce lifecycle. The Discount explains why the charged or recorded payment amount is lower than the undiscounted purchase amount. ## Relationship to Campaigns and Third Party Shops Discounts can inherit Campaign and Third Party Shop context from the surrounding commerce event. This makes promotion analysis more useful. A business can compare not only Sales by Campaign or Shop, but also the cost of the Discounts used to produce those Sales. Useful questions include: - Which Campaign creates the most discounted revenue? - Which Shop uses the most Coupons or manual reductions? - Which promotion improves conversion without eroding too much revenue? - Which acquisition sources create Customers who remain valuable after the initial Discount? ## Relationship to Tax Tax and Discounts are separate financial components of a purchase. Their interaction depends on the checkout source, tax rules, eligible Products, Shipping, and whether the storefront or RevCent calculated the tax. Keeping the Tax and Discount records separate gives the business clearer reconciliation and reporting context. AI clients and support workflows should not assume that a Discount and Tax are interchangeable or that tax treatment can be inferred only from the Discount amount. ## Relationship to Metadata and Automation Discounts can participate in the same relationship graph as Metadata, API Calls, AI Threads, AI Assistants, Functions, Events, and other automation context. Metadata can add business-specific meaning, such as: - retention reason, - promotion source, - support case reference, - partner or employee program, - internal approval reference, - experiment or offer variant. Automation can use surrounding Sale and Discount context to support customer communication, internal review, and lifecycle workflows. Any automation that creates or promises a Discount should operate only within the authority and limits given by the business. ## Viewing Discounts The RevCent web app provides a Discounts area under Payments. Users can view all Discounts from the sidebar or open: ```text https://revcent.com/user/discounts ``` A Discount details page shows the Discount and its related entities, such as the Sale and Product Sales. Users can locate a Discount through the list, its ID, or the top navigation search. The Knowledge Base overview is available at: ```text https://kb.revcent.com/en/payments/discount ``` ## API and MCP Retrieval Discounts currently have retrieval operations: | Operation | Purpose | |---|---| | `GetDiscounts` | Retrieve a bounded, paginated list of Discount records. | | `GetDiscount` | Retrieve one Discount by its 20-character Discount ID. | There is no standalone create-Discount operation. A Discount is created as an outcome of a Sale that includes a manual discount entry or an applicable Coupon. For an AI or MCP workflow, use `GetDiscounts` to identify a small set of records and `GetDiscount` to inspect the selected record and its relationships. Use Sale creation or Coupon workflows only when the user is explicitly asking to create commerce activity that includes a Discount. ## BigQuery Reporting and Relationship Visibility The BigQuery `discount` table is the correct analytical source for Discount metrics, aggregation, trends, and broad reporting. It includes fields for: - creation time and Discount ID, - total discount amount, - percentage of the total purchase amount, - live or test mode, - currency and payment type, - Coupon, - Customer, - Third Party Shop, - Subscription and Subscription Renewal, - PayPal Transaction, Offline Payment, and checks, - Shipping, - Product Sales and Products, - Metadata. This makes it possible to analyze Discounts across the relationship graph rather than paging through operational API results. Example business questions include: - How much was discounted this month? - What percentage of gross purchase value was reduced? - Which Coupons created the most Discount value? - Which Products, Campaigns, or Shops rely most heavily on Discounts? - Do discounted Customers have stronger or weaker lifetime value? - How much recurring revenue was reduced by renewal Discounts? - Which manual Discount reasons occur most often? ## Business Benefits Treating Discounts as connected items gives businesses several benefits: - Transparent purchase totals. - Clear separation between original pricing and promotional reductions. - Better Coupon and Campaign measurement. - Better product-level and customer-level profitability analysis. - Better subscription and trial economics. - Better customer support context. - Easier reconciliation between Sales, Shipping, Tax, and payments. - More precise BigQuery reporting. - A relationship node that AI and automation can inspect without guessing why a Sale total changed. ## Discount as a Relationship Graph Node For ecosystem graphing, the Discount should be treated as the historical reduction node between promotional intent and commerce outcome. ```text Manual entry or Coupon ↓ Discount ├─ Sale ├─ Customer ├─ Products and Product Sales ├─ Shipping ├─ Subscription and Renewal ├─ Trial ├─ Payment records ├─ Campaign ├─ Third Party Shop ├─ Metadata and automation └─ BigQuery reporting ``` The Discount is valuable because it explains a financial difference that would otherwise appear only as a smaller payment total. ## Common Ecommerce Use Cases Common Discount use cases include: - Applying a fixed customer service credit to a Sale. - Offering a percentage reduction during an authorized sales conversation. - Applying a Coupon at checkout. - Offering free or reduced Shipping. - Discounting selected Products without discounting Shipping. - Giving a retention Discount on future Subscription Renewals. - Applying a promotional reduction to a Trial expiration or conversion. - Measuring Campaign performance after promotional cost. - Comparing full-price and discounted customer cohorts. - Recording Shop-originated promotional reductions. ## Common Mistakes to Avoid - Do not confuse a Coupon with the Discount item created when the Coupon is used. - Do not describe a discount entry as if it were already a persisted Discount item. - Do not assume every reduced Sale came from a Coupon; manual entries can also create Discounts. - Do not assume every Discount applies equally to Products and Shipping. - Do not guess whether a percentage or amount was intended. - Do not create or promise an unauthorized Discount. - Do not treat a Discount as a refund; a Discount reduces the amount before payment, while a refund returns money after payment. - Do not use paginated retrieval operations to build reports or metrics. - Do not mix live-mode and test-mode Discounts in business reporting. ## AI/MCP Guidance AI and MCP clients should use the following mental model: ```text Need to create a purchase with a reduction? → Use the appropriate Sale workflow with an authorized discount entry or Coupon. Need to find recent Discount records? → Use GetDiscounts with a narrow date range and bounded pagination. Need the details of one Discount? → Use GetDiscount with an exact Discount ID. Need totals, counts, trends, rankings, or broad analysis? → Use BigQueryRunQuery against the documented BigQuery schema. ``` Before an AI workflow creates a Sale with a Discount, it should verify the exact amount or percentage, eligible scope, currency context, user authority, and whether the user wants an estimate before payment. Discount creation changes the amount the business collects and should be treated as consequential commerce activity. ## Summary A Discount is the historical RevCent item created when a Sale applies a manual discount entry or an applicable Coupon. The entry or Coupon describes the intended reduction. The Discount item records the calculated outcome and connects it to the Sale, Customer, Product Sales, Shipping, Subscriptions, Trials, payments, Campaigns, Shops, Metadata, automation, and reporting. That separation gives RevCent a clear record of not only what the customer paid, but also why the purchase amount was reduced before payment. --- Document Parent Directory * [Items](https://revcent.com/documentation/markdown/ecosystem/item/index.md) - Non-technical markdown documentation for items within the RevCent ecosystem. An item is an entity that is spawned as a result of a feature or operation conducted within the RevCent ecosystem.