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How to Create WooCommerce Birthday Coupons and Send Them to Customers

Editorial Team
October 21, 2024
How to Create WooCommerce Birthday Coupons and Send Them to Customers

Do you want to turn your customers into loyal customers who keep coming back?

One of the best ways to build lasting relationships with your customers is by making them feel truly valued. 

WooCommerce birthday coupons are a simple yet effective strategy for engaging customers, increasing repeat purchases, and fostering loyalty.

By offering personalized discounts or exclusive gifts on their birthdays, you're not just giving them a deal—you're enhancing their shopping experience and creating memorable moments.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to set up WooCommerce birthday coupons and share best practices to ensure your customers keep coming back for more.

What Are WooCommerce Birthday Coupons?

WooCommerce birthday coupons are special discounts or offers sent to customers on or around their birthdays.

These coupons provide a personalized shopping experience by rewarding customers with discounts, gifts, or other promotions to celebrate their special day.

Typically, store owners use plugins like FunnelKit to collect customers' birthdates. Then, they automatically send the birthday shopping coupon via email to increase customer loyalty.

These WooCommerce coupons are often time-limited, creating a sense of urgency for customers to make a purchase.

Let’s look at the example below!

A WooCommerce store might send an email to a customer a few days before their birthday with the following message: 

Hey, [Name]! 🎉

Happy Birthday to you! 🎂 To celebrate, enjoy 30% off your next purchase.

Use code: BIRTHDAY30 at checkout.

This offer is valid for the next 7 days, so treat yourself to something special!


This type of personalized offer creates excitement and encourages customers to shop during their birthday period.

Note:

WordPress does not provide a built-in option to capture customer birthday data. To achieve this, you need to write custom code or have technical expertise.

Alternatively, you can use a plugin to easily save customer information to the database without manual coding.

Why You Should Use WooCommerce Birthday Coupons Strategy?

Implementing a birthday coupon strategy in your WooCommerce store is a great way to interact with your customers and increase AOV.

Here’s a research from Experian.

Birthday emails have 481% higher transaction rates compared to other promotional emails. It indicates why it’s an effective strategy. By offering personalized discounts on customers' birthdays, you not only make them feel valued but also encourage them to place the order.

This strategy helps build customer loyalty, fosters emotional connections, and can lead to repeat purchases. 

Here are some additional justifications for its implementation:

  • Boosts sales

Birthday coupons encourage customers to make purchases by offering special discounts around their birthdays.

It creates urgency and prompts customers to take advantage of the offer, increasing sales during the promotion period.

Birthday shoppers are more likely to spend when given a limited-time discount, driving revenue.

  • Ensures a personalized shopping experience

By sending a birthday coupon, you’re personalizing the shopping experience. Who doesn’t want to get a gift on this special occasion? Almost everyone. 

By implementing this coupon marketing strategy, you show customers they are valued beyond just a sale. 

Plus, it builds a deeper connection between the customer and your brand.

  • Establishes “Word-of-mouth” marketing

Suppose you bought a pair of shoes from Adidas. A year later, they sent you a birthday coupon offering a 50% discount.

How would that make you feel?

Indeed, this brings you immense joy. You should share this news with your friends and post it on social media, a process we refer to as "word-of-mouth". 

By creating a positive experience, customers will recommend your store to others, attracting new customers and increasing sales.

  • Creates opportunity to upsell and cross-sell

You can use birthday coupons to introduce customers to related products or upgrades.

For example, if a customer uses their coupon, you can recommend complementary products or higher-end items. This ultimately increases the average order value, boosting sales and showcasing more of your inventory.

  • Builds emotional connections

Celebrating a customer’s birthday fosters an emotional connection between them and your brand.

By recognizing important dates like birthdays, you show customers that you care about them, strengthening loyalty and encouraging long-term relationships.

  • Retains customers

Birthday coupons contribute to customer retention by keeping customers engaged with your store.

Regular customers who receive birthday rewards feel valued and are more likely to make repeat purchases. It helps to reduce churn and increase customer lifetime value.

You should include These key elements in your marketing strategy, along with a coupon code for birthdays.

Top 4 Best WooCommerce Birthday Coupon Plugins

Implementing birthday coupons in your WooCommerce store is a fantastic way to increase customer loyalty and drive sales.

By automating birthday offers, you can celebrate your customers' special day while providing personalized discounts or gifts, fostering a deeper connection with your brand.

Here are four of the best WooCommerce birthday coupon plugins.

1. FunnelKit Automations

FunnelKit Automations is a powerful marketing automation tool that allows you to create personalized workflows, including birthday coupon campaigns. 

It helps automate customer interactions and email campaigns, allowing you to send personalized birthday offers automatically.

Key features:

  • Send birthday emails and coupons on autopilot based on customer data.
  • Create personalized emails with dynamic content like customer names and customized offers.
  • Segment your customers by behavior, demographics, or purchase history to tailor birthday offers.
  • Get started quickly with templates designed for birthday and other milestone campaigns.
  • Track the performance of birthday coupon campaigns with detailed reporting.

2. WooCommerce Smart Coupons

WooCommerce Smart Coupons is a versatile plugin that helps create various coupon types, including birthday coupons.

It allows for the bulk creation of coupons and provides scheduling features to automate coupon distribution for birthdays.

Key features:

  • Schedule birthday coupons to be sent to customers automatically.
  • Offer percentage-based discounts, fixed-amount discounts, or even free products for birthday promotions.
  • Easily generate and send out multiple birthday coupons.
  • Combine birthday coupons with gift cards or store credit for added flexibility.

3. Birthday Discount Coupon

Birthday Discount Coupon for WooCommerce simplifies birthday marketing by allowing you to collect customer birthdates and automate personalized birthday discount campaigns.

It’s an effective tool to increase engagement and sales during customers’ special occasions.

Key features:

  • Collects birthdates at registration or checkout
  • Automates the sending of birthday discount codes via email
  • Customizable discount types, expiration dates, and email content
  • Option to exclude certain products or categories from discounts

4. Birthday Coupons for WooCommerce

Birthday Coupons for WooCommerce is designed to automatically send birthday coupons to your customers, encouraging them to shop with you during their birthday month.

This WooCommerce plugin allows for personalized discount options and detailed usage tracking.

Key features:

  • Automatically sends birthday coupons to registered customers
  • Customize coupon types, values, and expiration periods
  • Supports rules such as limiting coupon use to specific products or categories
  • Detailed tracking of coupon usage and redemptions

Experts recommendation

These are some of the top WooCommerce plugins for setting up birthday coupon campaigns, including FunnelKit Automations, WooCommerce Smart Coupons, Birthday Discount Coupons, and Birthday Coupons for WooCommerce.

As an expert recommendation, FunnelKit Automations stands out as the best tool for birthday coupons due to its powerful marketing automation.

It allows you to send personalized birthday emails and coupons automatically with dynamic workflows.

Additionally, its customer segmentation and detailed performance tracking make it ideal for businesses.

How to Collect Date of Birth from Customer in Your WooCommerce Store?

One of the biggest obstacles to running a birthday coupon campaign is collecting accurate birthdate information.

Many customers may hesitate to provide this personal information, or they may skip over optional fields during registration.

How you can do that with FunnelKit Automations?

It has a section for collecting contacts’ personal information. As an admin, you can also collect their birthday information individually. 

Also, if a customer hasn’t provided their birthdate, FunnelKit Automation can automatically send follow-up emails requesting this information with a clear incentive for doing so.

First, you need to allow the date of birth field on checkout (FKA settings).

collecting birthdate in WooCommerce

At the time of checking out, customers can easily fill out their date of birth. For that, you need to configure it from the FunnelKit Funnel Builder store checkout settings.

Learn how to customize the store checkout page of your WooCommerce store.

Click here to learn more
WooCommerce Birthday Coupons field on the checkout form

So when a customer places an order and checks out at a store, they will easily get the date of birth option.

Birthday field preview on the checkout page

So this is how you can easily collect your prospect’s date of birth using FunnelKit Automations and FunnelKit Funnel Builder.

How to Create WooCommerce Birthday Coupons and Auto Send Them in an Email Campaign?

It's now time to demonstrate how to set up WooCommerce birthday coupons in an email campaign.

In this tutorial, we will be using FunnelKit Automations.

The powerful tool FunnelKit Automations automates email marketing and customer engagement workflows within WooCommerce.

It allows businesses to create personalized campaigns, such as abandoned cart emails, post-purchase follow-ups, and birthday coupons, all tailored to boost customer retention and sales.

With its easy-to-use interface, it simplifies the process of setting up automated email sequences based on customer behavior or milestones, like birthdays.

For a better understanding, you can check out the video on FunnelKit Automations.

How to Create WooCommerce Birthday Coupons and Send Them to Customers

Before starting, make sure to install and activate the free and pro versions of FunnelKit Automations.

Step 1: Create an automation

First, you need to create an automation. For that, navigate to the FunnelKit Automations page and click on the “Create Automation” button.

Create an automation

Here you’ll find different recipes for creating different automations. But in this case, we’re starting with the “Scratch”. So click on it.

Automations

Next, enter the name of the automation. Once you’re done, hit the Create button to continue.

WooCommerce Birthday Coupons

Step 2: Add the birthday reminder event

Next, you need to create an event. Click on the event and choose “Birthday Reminder” under the automations tab. And then hit save.

Add the birthday reminder event

Next, configure the birthday reminder settings.

Let’s configure the birthday reminder to be three days before the recipient’s birthday, at 10:00 AM.

Hit save when you’re done.

WooCommerce Birthday Coupons

Step 3: Create a dynamic WooCommerce birthday coupon

Click on the “Plus” icon to create a birthday coupon. For that, click on the “Action” button.

Create a dynamic WooCommerce birthday coupon

Here you go. Under the WooCommerce section, select “Create Coupon". Then hit done.

WooCommerce Birthday Coupons

Next, you need to configure the coupon.

  • Coupon title: Set to "Birthday Coupon" to define the offer.
  • Discount type: A percentage discount is selected, with a 30% discount.
  • Coupon code prefix: Set a dynamic code with a prefix and the customer’s first name (e.g., "Save-30-John").
  • Set the coupon expiry date. We set it 3 days after it's issued.
  • Allow free Shipping if you want
Creating a coupon

In the restriction tab, you can determine some restrictions about the coupon.

  • Minimum spend: Set the minimum order total needed for the coupon to be valid. For example, a customer must spend at least $80 for the coupon to apply.
  • Maximum spend: Define the maximum order value eligible for the coupon. In this case, the coupon applies to orders up to $100.
  • Individual use only: When checked, the coupon can't be combined with other coupons, ensuring it's used exclusively.
  • Exclude sale items: Prevents the coupon from applying to products already on sale.
  • Restrict to customer email: Limits the coupon's use to specific email addresses, ideal for personalized offers.
  • Products: Apply the coupon to specific products by searching and selecting them here.
  • Exclude Products: Exclude certain products from the discount by listing them here.
  • Categories: Limit the coupon to specific product categories, such as "clothing" or "accessories."
  • Exclude categories: Exclude entire categories from the coupon, such as "Electronics."

Once you’re done, hit save.

Customizing WooCommerce Birthday Coupons
  • Usage limit per coupon: This sets the total number of times the coupon can be used. In this case, it’s set to 1, meaning the coupon can only be redeemed once.
  • Limit usage to X items: This allows you to limit the number of items the coupon can apply to in a single purchase. If left blank, it applies to all eligible items in the cart.
  • Usage limit per user: This field controls how many times a single user can use the coupon. If left blank, there’s no limit for each user.

Hit save when you’re done.

Editing WooCommerce Birthday Coupons

Step 4: Create and customize the email setup

Similarly, create another action and select “Send Email” under the messaging tab.

Hit done when you’re done.

Create and customize the email setup

Now, configure some email settings.

Here add the recipient’s email address, a subject, and preview text. Here you can personalize the email from our merge tag {{..}}.

After clicking on the {{..}}, you can find different tags to use. Just copy and paste where required.

Note: Since we’re going to send an email 3 days before the recipient’s birthday, keep the subject line and the preview text aligned with this timing.

Customizing email coupon

From here, you can find the tags to use.

Merge tags

Step 5: Import a pre-designed email template

We will use the Visual Builder to design the Birthday email. 

The visual builder of FunnelKit Automations is a sophisticated feature that allows you to create some stunning email templates in minutes. 

The key things about the enhanced visual builder are:

  • Drag-and-drop blocks: You can add and arrange WooCommerce-specific content blocks (like product information, images, buttons, etc.) to design your email exactly how you want.
  • Customizable templates: Choose from pre-designed templates or build your layout from scratch, making it easier to match your email design with your brand.
  • Live preview: The Visual Builder shows real-time changes as you design, allowing you to see what the email will look like on different devices.

Learn more about the enhanced visual builder feature of FunnelKit Automation.

Click here to learn more

Scroll down a bit and select the visual builder. And then click on the “Edit” button.

Import a pre-designed email template

Next, you’ll find different email templates to get started with. But here we’re choosing the “Personalized Coupon” template.

Email templates of FunnelKit automations

Preview the template and click on the “Import Template” button.

WooCommerce Birthday Coupons

Step 6: Customize your birthday email template

Now, it’s time to customize the email template.

On the left side, you’ll find the blocks to customize the template.

WooCommerce Birthday Coupons

Logo customization

Drag-drop the logo to the preferred place of the template. Usually, it looks smart at the top. So place it and then customize the logo settings.

Logo customization

Then click on the logo. You can find the customizing options for it.

  • Position: Allows you to align the image to the left, center, or right.
  • Auto width: Toggles the image to automatically adjust its width.
  • Width (%): Sets the custom width of the image as a percentage of the container size.
  • Alternative text: Used for accessibility and SEO, this is the text that will appear if the image fails to load.
  • Border style & radius: Defines the border style and radius for the image (for rounded corners or straight edges).
  • Padding: Sets the space around the image (top, bottom, left, right).
Logo customization of WooCommerce birthday coupon

Heading customization

Similarly, add a heading. Just drag-drop the text block to your preferred area.

Heading customization

On the left side of the screen, you can configure these.

  • Font Family: Allows you to choose the font style (e.g., Times New Roman).
  • Alignment: Align the text left, center, or right.
  • Line height: Adjust the space between lines of text.
  • Padding: Set the padding around the text block (top, right, bottom, left).

In the editor:

  • Merge tag: Automatically pulls in personalized data (e.g., {{contact_first_name}} for the first name).
  • Link trigger: Create trigger links for actions like tracking or special events.
customizing the email template

Customize coupon

Drag the coupon block to your preferred area.

Customize coupon

On the left side of the screen, you’ll find these options:

  • Alignment: Adjust the position of the coupon (left, center, right).
  • Font family: Sets the font style for text within the coupon.
  • Preview content: Allows you to choose what elements to display (e.g., heading, coupon code, button).
  • Coupon Code: The actual coupon code to be displayed (e.g., Birthday30OFF). From the Automation.
  • Style: You can choose to display the coupon as a text code or a clickable button.
  • Width: Set the width of the coupon block as a percentage.
  • Border style & color: Customize the border's style (e.g., Dashed) and color.
  • Border radius: Round the edges of the coupon by adjusting the radius.
coupon customization

Others

You can add other elements like a footer, social icons, and a note from the store owner.

others blocks

Learn how to customize and create an email template for better outcomes.

Click here to learn more

Step 7: Enable the automation and test

Save on both screens and go back to the previous page. Then enable the automation from here.

Enabling the automation and testing the WooCommerce birthday coupons

Now test the automation to see if it’s working properly or not. For that, send a test email.

And you can see the email is perfectly sent to the recipient's inbox wishing him a birthday with a WooCommerce coupon.

final view of the email

So that’s how you can customize and set up WooCommerce birthday coupons with FunnelKit Automations.

6 Best Practices for Using Birthday Coupons

To get the most out of your WooCommerce birthday coupons, it’s important to implement them effectively. 

A well-executed birthday coupon strategy can drive customer loyalty, boost sales, and create lasting connections with your customers.

Here are six best practices to help you maximize the impact of your birthday coupon campaigns:

1. Personalize the message

Make sure your birthday coupon feels special by addressing the customer by name and using a warm, celebratory tone. 

Personalization makes the customer feel valued and more likely to engage with the offer..

A personalized message strengthens the emotional impact and enhances the customer’s experience.

Let’s look at the example for LocalIQ.

example of WooCommerce Birthday Coupons

2. Set a time limit for urgency

Include a clear expiration date for the birthday coupon, typically valid for a week or a month.

This creates a sense of urgency, motivating customers to use the discount quickly. A time-sensitive offer encourages prompt action and helps increase sales within a defined period.

3. Offer an exclusive discount

Make the birthday coupon feel special by offering a discount or deal more generous than regular promotions.

Exclusive offers, such as a higher percentage off or gift over a certain amount of order total, give customers a strong reason to redeem the coupon and feel appreciated on their special day.

Let’s look at the example of a birthday email offer from Chipotle Rewards. The email features a vibrant, celebratory design to grab attention.

With a playful headline, “The Gift of Guac"  offers a personalized birthday reward in the form of free chips and guacamole for the recipient to enjoy during their birthday month with a purchase of $5 or more.

Example of WooCommerce Birthday Coupons

4. Make it simple to redeem

Ensure the process for redeeming the birthday coupon is seamless and easy. Users should get into the offer page with one click or a simple code be there.

With this simple navigation, you ensure a quality customer experience. Keeping the coupon simple to apply reduces friction and increases the likelihood of conversions.

Let’s look at the example from Runtastic. They kept the template simple and placed the CTA button.

This will assist customers in going directly to the cart or offer page to complete their purchase.

Example of WooCommerce Birthday Coupons

5. Offer free shipping

Including free shipping in your birthday email is a great way to make customers feel special.

Who wouldn’t love free shipping as a birthday treat? Almost everyone, we guess.

Yes, Nike nails it by combining a birthday offer with free shipping, catering perfectly to their budget-conscious customers.

The email’s design seamlessly matches the birthday celebration vibe, fostering a personal and welcoming connection.

Along with the visually appealing theme, the generous discount makes the offer irresistible, ensuring customers feel special on their big day.

Example of WooCommerce Birthday Coupons

6. Track and optimize the campaign

Monitor the performance of your birthday coupon campaigns by tracking metrics like open rates, redemption rates, and average order values.

Use this data to optimize future offers, adjust the discount, or tweak the expiration period to maximize engagement and sales. Continuously refining the campaign ensures better results over time.

Track and optimize the campaign

Overcoming Common Challenges in WooCommerce Birthday Coupon Automation

Automating birthday coupons in WooCommerce is an effective way to build customer loyalty and boost sales.

However, like any automated marketing strategy, it comes with its own set of challenges.

From collecting customer birthdates to preventing coupon misuse, store owners need to address several potential obstacles. 

Let’s explore some common challenges and how FunnelKit Automations can help overcome them.

1. Avoiding coupon misuse

Without proper restrictions, birthday coupons could be abused by customers who create multiple accounts or enter false birthdates just to get repeated discounts.

So how can FunnelKit Automations help?

In the coupon settings, you can determine the coupon usage limit. So one can only use that coupon once.

Common Challenges in WooCommerce Birthday Coupon Automation

2. Managing expiry dates and urgency

It’s essential to create urgency with birthday coupons, but managing expiration dates manually can become cumbersome. 

Setting dates too short may frustrate customers, while too long may reduce the sense of urgency.

How can FunnelKit Automations help?

With FunnelKit Automations, you can set expiration rules for your birthday coupons. It ensures they are valid only for a specific period (e.g., one week or one month). This creates the right balance of urgency.

Common Challenges in WooCommerce Birthday Coupon Automation

3. Integrating with other promotions

Many WooCommerce stores run multiple promotions at the same time, which can lead to issues like coupon stacking or customer confusion about which deal is better.

How can FunnelKit Automations help?

FunnelKit allows you to set rules for whether the birthday coupon can be combined with other discounts.

You can choose to make the birthday coupon a standalone offer or allow it to be used alongside certain promotions.

Common Challenges in WooCommerce Birthday Coupon Automation

So we can see that FunnelKit Automations can easily help you to overcome each and every problem you face while managing WooCommerce birthday coupons.

Wrapping Up: Maximizing the Impact of WooCommerce Birthday Coupons

WooCommerce birthday coupons are one of the most amazing ways to boost customer loyalty and improve brand identity.

By offering personalized, timely, and exclusive offers, you can create stronger connections with your customers, making them feel valued and appreciated.

When you automate these campaigns with powerful tools like FunnelKit Automations, you not only save time but also ensure that your birthday coupons are delivered seamlessly with 100% impact and minimal effort.

Ready to take your customer loyalty to the next level? Download FunnelKit Automations today and start creating unforgettable birthday campaigns that will keep your customers coming back for more!

Author: Editorial Team
The Editorial Team at FunnelKit (formerly WooFunnels) is a passionate group of writers and copy editors. We create well-researched posts on topics such as WordPress automation, sales funnels, online course creation, and more. We aim to deliver content that is interesting and actionable.
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