A WooCommerce percentage discount is arguably the most versatile promotion a store owner can run. 

Unlike a fixed-amount discount, which can feel disproportionate depending on a customer’s order size, a percentage discount feels proportional and fair regardless of what a customer spends; 20% off means the same thing on a £10 item as on a £200 one.

Setting up a WooCommerce percentage discount is possible through the native coupon system for basic use cases and through a dedicated plugin when the requirements are more specific.

Setting Up a Percentage Discount With WooCommerce Coupons

To create a percentage discount using WooCommerce's native tools:

1. Go to WooCommerce → Coupons → Add Coupon.

2. Enter a coupon code in the top field.

3. Under Discount Type, select Percentage Discount.

4. Enter the percentage amount in the Coupon Amount field (e.g., `20` for 20% off).

5. Configure any usage restrictions or limits you want, then save.

The coupon will apply a percentage reduction to the customer's cart or eligible products when the code is entered at checkout. 

If you want the discount to apply only to specific products or categories, you can set those restrictions in the Usage Restriction tab.

This is the quickest way for you to set up a percentage discount in WooCommerce. It works well for promotional codes, one-time offers, or campaigns tied to a specific code.

Limitations of the Native Percentage Discount

The native percentage coupon is rather static. The same percentage applies regardless of how much the customer spends or how many items they add to their cart. 

It also always requires code entry, and there's no way to vary the percentage applied based on quantity or category.

If what you need is a percentage discount that changes at different purchase thresholds, for example, 10% off 3 items and 20% off 6 items, you can't build that from WooCommerce’s native coupon system alone.

Setting Up a WooCommerce Percentage Discount With Elevated Discount Rules

Elevated Discount Rules lets you set up WooCommerce percentage discounts with much more precision.

When you create a new simple discount, you can set the discount as a percentage and apply it across your entire catalog, to specific products, or to specific product categories. 

You can target all customers or restrict the discount to specific user roles. This is useful if you want to apply a different percentage to wholesale buyers versus retail customers.

For quantity-based percentage discounts, the bulk pricing type lets you build tiered structures in which the percentage increases at higher quantity levels. Each tier is configured independently with its own threshold and percentage value, and the plugin automatically handles the calculation. There is really no ceiling to how granular you’d like to make the structure.

You can also display percentage-discount messaging on product pages so customers know about the offer before they reach the cart. This increases the likelihood that the discount will actually influence buying behavior.

Final Thoughts

A WooCommerce percentage discount is straightforward to set up natively for basic coupon code-based promotions. But for percentage discounts that apply automatically, vary by quantity, or target specific customer segments, the native coupon system isn't sufficient.

Elevated Discount Rules gives you a percentage discount configuration system that actually responds dynamically based on how customers shop, rather than just activating when they remember to type in a coupon code.

For more WooCommerce discount plugins, see our roundup of the 6 Best WooCommerce Discount Plugins.