Types of promotions & discounts — and how to run them automatically
Promotions are double-edged: they drive sales when done right, and eat your margin when applied wrong or forgotten at the till. Let's cover the core promotion and discount types, and how Zemam's engine applies them by itself — at the POS and on invoices — with correct accounting and no manual errors.
How to set up a promotion in Zemam — 6 steps
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1. Pick the promotion type
A percentage, a special price, a fixed amount off, buy-X-get-Y, a bundle at a group price, or a discount when spend passes a threshold. Each type serves a different goal.
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2. Set the scope
Apply it to an item, category, brand, supplier, season, warehouse, or the whole catalog — with exclusions (a whole category except one item). And you can limit it to a branch.
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3. Set the window
A start and end date. When it ends it stops automatically — so no one leaves it running at the register by mistake.
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4. The promotion applies itself
Once saved, it applies itself to the eligible items — at the POS and on sales invoices, with no coupon to enter or discount to compute by hand. And it keeps working even if the internet drops.
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5. The accounting is automatic and correct
The discount posts to a sales-discount (contra-revenue) account, and VAT is computed on the amount after the discount — exactly as the law requires. And every sold line keeps a snapshot of the promotion applied to it.
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6. Track how promotions perform
A report shows each promotion and its impact — so you know which offer actually drove sales and which just ate into your margin.
Why an engine instead of a manual discount?
It applies itself — so no cashier forgets the offer, applies it wrong, or gives a discount that shouldn't apply.
Works offline at the till (for the simpler types), with a grace window for just-ended offers — so selling never stops.
The discount lands in the right account and tax is after the discount — so your profit and VAT come out correct with no manual work.
The promotion types in detail
Percentage / special price / fixed amount
The simplest types: a percentage off (15%), setting the unit price to a fixed value, or a fixed amount off per unit.
Buy X, get Y (gifts)
The customer buys a quantity and gets extra units free or discounted — “buy 2, get the 3rd free.”
Bundles
A fixed set of items sold together at a group price lower than their separate sum.
Mix & match
“Any 3 from this shelf for 100” — the customer picks any set from an eligible group.
Spend-threshold discount
“Spend 500 and get a discount” — the offer triggers when the customer's spend on the scope passes a set amount.
Broad scope with exclusions
Apply the offer to a brand, supplier, season, or a whole category — and exclude specific items from it. That's what makes offers realistic.
Promotions in Zemam
The same engine runs at the POS and on sales invoices, and keeps working offline at the till (for the simpler types) with a grace window for just-ended offers. Every discount posts to a sales-discount account with tax after the discount, and each sale keeps a snapshot of the promotion applied.
Want to run your offers without errors?
Zemam applies your offers automatically at the POS and on invoices, even offline, with correct accounting. Try it free and our team helps you set up your first promotion.