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How to Give New Customers a First-Order Discount in WooCommerce (Automatically!)

Offering a welcome discount to new users is a great way to convert first-time visitors into loyal customers.
But instead of sending coupon codes or setting up complex rules, let’s make it fully automatic — no plugin needed!

What This Code Does

  • Detects if the logged-in customer has no previous orders
  • Automatically applies a discount to their first order only
  • Shows a friendly message on the checkout page

Code Snippet (Fixed Amount Discount)

				
					/**
 * Auto apply first-order discount for new customers
 * and show message on checkout page
 */
add_action('woocommerce_cart_calculate_fees', function() {
    if ( is_admin() && ! defined('DOING_AJAX') ) return;

    $discount_amount = 100; // 💰 Change this to your desired discount amount
    $user_id = get_current_user_id();

    if ( $user_id ) {
        // Check if user has any previous orders
        $orders = wc_get_orders([
            'customer_id' => $user_id,
            'limit'       => 1,
        ]);

        // If no previous orders, apply discount
        if ( empty($orders) ) {
            WC()->cart->add_fee( __('First Order Discount', 'textdomain'), -$discount_amount );

            // Store a flag to display message later
            WC()->session->set( 'first_order_discount_applied', true );
        } else {
            WC()->session->__unset( 'first_order_discount_applied' );
        }
    }
});

/**
 * Display message on checkout page if first order discount applied
 */
add_action('woocommerce_before_checkout_form', function() {
    if ( WC()->session->get( 'first_order_discount_applied' ) ) {
        echo '<div class="woocommerce-info" style="margin-bottom:15px;">🎉 Congrats! You’re getting a special discount on your first order.</div>';
    }
});

Code Snippet (Percentage Discount)

				
					/**
 * Auto apply first-order percentage discount for new customers
 */
add_action('woocommerce_cart_calculate_fees', function() {
    if ( is_admin() && ! defined('DOING_AJAX') ) return;

    $discount_percent = 10; // 🧾 Change this to your desired percentage
    $user_id = get_current_user_id();

    if ( $user_id ) {
        // Check if user has any previous orders
        $orders = wc_get_orders([
            'customer_id' => $user_id,
            'limit'       => 1,
        ]);

        if ( empty($orders) ) {
            $cart_total = WC()->cart->get_subtotal();
            $discount = ($cart_total * $discount_percent) / 100;

            WC()->cart->add_fee( sprintf(__('First Order %s%% Discount', 'textdomain'), $discount_percent), -$discount );
            WC()->session->set( 'first_order_discount_applied', true );
        } else {
            WC()->session->__unset( 'first_order_discount_applied' );
        }
    }
});

/**
 * Show message on checkout page
 */
add_action('woocommerce_before_checkout_form', function() {
    if ( WC()->session->get( 'first_order_discount_applied' ) ) {
        echo '<div class="woocommerce-info" style="margin-bottom:15px;">🎉 Congrats! You’re getting a special discount on your first order.</div>';
    }
});

How It Works

  • Checks if the logged-in customer has any completed orders.
  • If not, automatically applies either a flat amount or percentage discount (depending on which version you use).
  • Displays a friendly message on the checkout page — no manual coupon entry needed.

Bonus Tip: Offer Free Shipping Instead

				
					add_filter('woocommerce_shipping_free_shipping_is_available', function($is_available) {
    $user_id = get_current_user_id();
    $orders = wc_get_orders(['customer_id' => $user_id, 'limit' => 1]);
    if (empty($orders)) return true; // Free shipping for first order
    return $is_available;
});

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