> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vortexiq.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Discount as % of Revenue, WooCommerce > Discount as % of Revenue. Measures the share of gross revenue given away as coupon and cart discounts in the period. How to read it, why it matters, and how to act on it. **Card class:** [Non-Hero](/nerve-centre/overview#card-classes-explained) • **Category:** [Ecommerce Platform](/nerve-centre/connectors#connectors-by-type) > Discount as % of Revenue for the selected period. ## At a glance > The proportion of gross revenue handed back to customers as discounts over the period, shown as a gauge. It is total discount value divided by total order value. A creeping ratio is the quiet way coupons erode margin, this is the card that makes the giveaway visible before it shows up as a margin problem. | | | | ------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **What it counts** | `SUM(order.discount_total) / SUM(order.total) x 100` over the period. The numerator is every coupon and cart discount applied; the denominator is gross customer-billed revenue. | | **REST API endpoint** | `GET /wp-json/wc/v3/orders`. Fields used: `discount_total` (per-order discount, string-typed decimal) for the numerator and `total` for the denominator. Coupon definitions come from `GET /wp-json/wc/v3/coupons` for attribution. | | **Discount fields** | `discount_total` is the order-level sum of all coupon discounts; `discount_tax` is stored separately and is not added here. Each individual coupon's contribution sits in that order's `coupon_lines[]`. The card sums `discount_total` across orders. | | **VAT / tax treatment** | The denominator (`total`) is tax-inclusive, the WC standard. The numerator (`discount_total`) is the pre-tax discount value. For a directional ratio this is the conventional Woo reading; treat the gauge as an indicator, not a penny-exact accounting figure. | | **Status filter** | Both numerator and denominator are summed over real revenue statuses (`completed`, `processing`); `pending`, `failed`, `cancelled`, and `refunded` are excluded so the ratio reflects discounts on revenue that was actually realised. | | **Refunds** | The denominator is gross of refunds (WC stores refunds as separate objects and does not reduce `order.total`). A heavily refunded period can therefore understate the true discount burden slightly. | | **Self-hosted vs managed-Woo** | Identical on self-hosted LAMP, WordPress.com, and managed-Woo (Woo.com Cloud, WP Engine, Pressable, Kinsta). Discount-extension plugins can store discounts outside `discount_total`, see FAQs. | | **Time window** | `30D vsP` (default 30D vs the prior 30D) | | **Alert trigger** | `>15%`, driven by `sentiment_key: wc_discount_total_pct` | | **Roles** | owner, finance | ## Calculation Calculated automatically from your WooCommerce data. See the At a glance summary above for what the metric tracks and the worked example below for a typical reading. ## Worked example A UK homeware brand on self-hosted WooCommerce 8.7 with the Stripe Gateway plugin. Three coupons ran in the window: WELCOME10 (10% off), FREESHIP (free shipping), and a flash SUMMER25 (25% off). The 30-day window covers 22 May 26 to 20 Jun 26. | Coupon | Orders using it | Discount given (`discount_total` contribution) | | ------------------ | --------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | WELCOME10 | 318 | £8,140 | | FREESHIP | 612 | £3,980 | | SUMMER25 | 141 | £11,260 | | (no coupon) | 1,420 | £0 | | **Total discount** | | **£23,380** | ```text theme={null} Gross revenue (sum of order.total, completed + processing) = £142,600 Discount as % of Revenue = 23,380 / 142,600 x 100 = 16.40% ``` The gauge reads **16.40%**, above the `>15%` threshold, so Vortex IQ Nerve Centre raises an alert. Four things to notice: 1. **One flash code did most of the damage.** SUMMER25 was used on only 141 orders but contributed nearly half the discount value because it is a steep percentage off. A single aggressive code can push the whole ratio over threshold. Cross-check [Top Coupons by Usage](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/woocommerce/top-coupons-by-usage-30d) to confirm which code is driving the spike, usage rank alone would not have flagged SUMMER25 (it ranks third by count). 2. **The prior 30D was 11.2%.** The ratio jumped from 11.2% to 16.4% vsP, tracking the SUMMER25 launch on 30 May 26. The vsP comparison is what turns a single high number into a trend the merchant can act on. 3. **Stacking inflates it further.** If customers combined SUMMER25 with FREESHIP (no "Individual use only" flag), some orders carried both discounts. That is the link to [Coupon Stacking Abuse](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/woocommerce/coupon-stacking-abuse-2-coupons-order): stacking is one of the mechanisms that pushes this ratio up. 4. **The margin impact is larger than the ratio looks.** A 16.4% revenue giveaway on a brand with a 45% gross margin means roughly a third of the period's gross profit went to discounts. Pair with [Gross Margin](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/woocommerce/gross-margin) to translate the ratio into profit terms before deciding whether the promotion paid for itself. ## Sibling cards merchants should reference together | Card | Why pair it with Discount as % of Revenue | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [WC Top Coupons by Usage (30d)](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/woocommerce/top-coupons-by-usage-30d) | Tells you which codes are driving the ratio. A steep percentage code can dominate the discount value despite modest usage. | | [WC Coupon Stacking Abuse (>2 coupons / order)](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/woocommerce/coupon-stacking-abuse-2-coupons-order) | One mechanism that pushes this ratio up. Stacked orders carry compounded discounts. | | [WC Active Coupons](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/woocommerce/active-coupons) | The size of the live coupon pool. More aggressive codes live at once means more discount pressure. | | [WC Gross Margin](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/woocommerce/gross-margin) | Translates the discount ratio into profit terms. A 15% giveaway can swallow a third of gross profit. | | [WC Average Order Value](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/woocommerce/average-order-value) | Discounts pull net AOV down. Pair to see whether the giveaway is buying bigger baskets or just shrinking margin. | | [BC Discount of Revenue](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/bigcommerce/discount-of-revenue) | Cross-platform peer for agencies running a multi-platform book. | | [Shopify Discount of Revenue](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/shopify/discount-of-revenue) | SaaS-platform peer with the same ratio definition. | ## Reconciling against WooCommerce **Where to look in WooCommerce Admin:** [WP Admin > WooCommerce > Reports > Orders > Sales by date](/wp-admin/admin.php?page=wc-reports\&tab=orders\&report=sales_by_date) shows **Coupons / Discounts** as a line alongside **Gross sales**. Divide one by the other for the closest match to this gauge. The [Coupons by date report](/wp-admin/admin.php?page=wc-reports\&tab=orders\&report=coupon_usage) breaks the discount total down per code so you can see which one is driving the ratio. Other WP Admin views that look related but are not: * **WooCommerce Analytics > Coupons (WC 4.0+)**: uses the separate Analytics engine with its own status filtering and refund handling; it can read lower because it nets refunds differently. * **Home > Stats overview widget**: shows revenue only, no discount ratio. **Why our number may legitimately differ from WP Admin:** | Reason | Direction of divergence | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | | **Refund treatment**. This card's denominator is gross of refunds; WC Analytics nets refunds out, which changes the ratio. | Ours and WC Analytics differ; legacy Sales report is closer | | **Tax treatment of the numerator**. `discount_total` is pre-tax while `total` is tax-inclusive. A report that puts both on the same tax basis reads slightly differently. | Marginal; directionally identical | | **Time-zone**. WC reports run on WP-site timezone (*Settings > General > Timezone*); Vortex IQ runs on UTC. Boundary-day orders fall on different sides. | +/- a day's discounts at the boundary | | **Status filter**. This card sums `completed + processing`; a report including `on-hold` or `pending` shifts both numerator and denominator. | Variable; match the filter | | **Plugin-stored discounts**. Some discount plugins write their reduction outside `discount_total` (for example as a negative fee line). The Vortex IQ engine reads `discount_total`, so a plugin that bypasses it will be under-counted here. | Ours lower than the merchant expects | | **Self-hosted server uptime**. An outage during the indexer poll delays recent orders by up to 24 hours. Managed hosts are steadier. | Ours temporarily lower; self-resolves at next sync | The legacy Sales-by-date report (Coupons / Discounts divided by Gross sales) is the cleanest apples-to-apples comparison, since it shares this card's gross-of-refunds basis. ***
Same-metric documentation cross-reference (for agencies running multiple platforms) The same definition of discount-as-share-of-revenue lives on other commerce platforms. This is **not a reconciliation**, your WooCommerce store does not have a parallel store on Shopify or BigCommerce to compare numbers against. These cross-links exist so agencies running multi-platform client books can navigate between identical metrics across the docs. * [`shopify.discount_of_revenue`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/shopify/discount-of-revenue) * [`bigcommerce.discount_of_revenue`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/bigcommerce/discount-of-revenue)
## Known limitations / merchant FAQs **Does this include tax in the discount figure?** No. The numerator uses `discount_total`, which is the pre-tax discount value; `discount_tax` is stored separately and is not added. The denominator (`total`) is tax-inclusive, the WC standard. Treat the gauge as a directional indicator of giveaway pressure rather than a penny-exact accounting ratio. For exact accounting, use WC Analytics with a consistent tax basis. **Is the denominator net or gross of refunds?** Gross. WooCommerce stores refunds as separate objects and does not reduce `order.total`, so this card's denominator is gross revenue. A heavily refunded period can therefore slightly understate the true discount burden. WC Analytics nets refunds out, which is why the two engines can disagree. **A discount plugin is not showing up in the ratio, why?** Some plugins apply their reduction outside the standard `discount_total` field, for example as a negative fee line or a price override. The Vortex IQ engine reads `discount_total`, so a plugin that bypasses it will be under-counted. If your real giveaway looks higher than this gauge, check how your discount plugin records its reduction and contact [support@vortexiq.ai](mailto:support@vortexiq.ai) so the engine can be extended for your shape. **Why did the ratio jump when usage did not?** Because this card weights by value, not count. A steep percentage code used on a handful of orders can move the ratio far more than a small free-shipping code used on hundreds. Read it alongside [Top Coupons by Usage](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/woocommerce/top-coupons-by-usage-30d): high value plus low count is the signature of an aggressive promotion. **What is a healthy discount ratio?** It is category-dependent. Fashion and homeware often run 10 to 20% in promotional months; commodity goods run lower. The `>15%` alert is a generic baseline. Set your own threshold in the Sensitivity tab to match your margin structure rather than relying on the default. **How does stacking affect this card?** Stacking compounds discounts on individual orders, which raises `discount_total` per order and pushes the ratio up. If this gauge is rising, check [Coupon Stacking Abuse](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/woocommerce/coupon-stacking-abuse-2-coupons-order) to see whether unrestricted coupon combinations are part of the cause. *** ### Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre *Discount as % of Revenue* is one of hundreds of KPI pulses Vortex IQ tracks across WooCommerce and 70+ other ecommerce connectors. Nerve Centre runs the detection layer; Vortex Mind investigates the cause when something moves; Ask Viq lets you interrogate any number in plain English. [Start for free](https://app.vortexiq.ai/login) or [book a demo](https://www.vortexiq.ai/contact-us) to see this metric running on your own data.