---
title: "How do I set up a Volume discount?"
description: "Tiered cart discounts by quantity or spend: products, Group by, up to 10 tiers, and how the Volume discount picks one tier for every qualifying unit."
url: "https://smart-bundles.io/help/cart-discounts/volume-discounts"
updated: "2026-11-02"
product: "SMART Bundles App & Upsells"
section: "Help center / Cart discounts"
---


# How do I set up a Volume discount?

Click **Create new discount**, pick **Volume discount** under **Other discount types**, choose what it's **Based on**, the products, and up to 10 **Tiers**. In the cart and at checkout, the highest tier the cart reaches applies to every qualifying unit. Nothing shows on the product page.

## Step by step

1. In SMART Discounts, click **Create new discount** and pick **Volume discount** under **Other discount types**.
2. Enter a **Discount name** and choose the **Application method**: **Automatic** or **Code**. See [Automatic or code, and schedules](https://smart-bundles.io/help/cart-discounts/automatic-or-code-and-schedules).
3. Under **Based on**, choose **Product quantity** (units) or **Product price** (amount spent).
4. Under **Products**, set **Any items from**: **Products**, **Products other than**, **Variants**, **Variants other than**, **Collections**, **Collections other than** or **All products**, then pick them. Set **Purchase type** to **Any**, **One time purchase** or **Subscription purchase**. Tick **Exclude products with compare at price (already on sale)** to skip sale items.
5. Under **Group by**, choose **All products**, **Product** or **Variant** (see below).
6. In **Tiers**, enter the **Required quantity** (or **Required amount**), a **Discount label** (automatic discounts only; code discounts show the code at checkout), the **Discount type** (**Percentage off**, **Amount off per item** or **Fixed price per item**) and the **Discount value**. Click **Add tier** for more, up to 10.
7. Check **Purchase types**, **Combines with**, **Eligibility**, **Active dates** and, in the right column, **Conditions**. Code discounts also get **Maximum discount uses**. Click **Create**.

## How the discount is calculated

- **Only one tier applies:** the highest tier reached, to every qualifying unit. Lower tiers don't stack, and the first units don't keep a lower tier's price.
- **Group by** decides what counts together. **All products**: every qualifying item counts toward one tier. **Product** or **Variant**: each product or variant reaches its own tier.
- **Product price** tiers use the amount spent on qualifying items, before other discounts. Shopify's discount functions run at the same time and don't see each other ([Shopify developer docs](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/functions/latest/discount)).
- **Percentage off** comes off each unit. **Amount off per item** takes that amount off each unit.
- **Fixed price per item** sets each qualifying unit to that price. If a unit already costs that or less, it gets nothing: a discount never raises a price.
- **Already on sale** means the item's compare-at price is above its price.
- There's no cap on units: every qualifying unit gets the tier.
- Amounts are in your store currency and converted at Shopify's rate for other currencies.

## Example

| Cart (Group by: All products) | Tiers: 2+ = 10% off, 4+ = 20% off | Result |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 shirt | No tier reached | Full price |
| 2 shirts + 1 cap | 3 units: 10% tier | All 3 units 10% off |
| 3 shirts + 2 caps | 5 units: 20% tier | All 5 units 20% off |

With **Group by** set to **Product**, the last cart would give the shirts 10% (3 units) and the caps 10% (2 units).

## Limits and edge cases

- **Nothing on the product page.** Shoppers see the saving in the cart and at checkout. To show tiers on the product page, use a bundle with Quantity breaks: see [Quantity break tiers](https://smart-bundles.io/help/bundles/quantity-break-tiers).
- **Subscriptions.** **Applies on subscription purchases** is off by default, and then a cart holding any subscription item gets no Volume discount at all. Turn it on in **Purchase types** if you sell subscriptions.
- **Variants.** Picking a product includes all its variants. To target only some, choose **Variants**.
- **Collections** are checked at checkout, so products you add to a collection later qualify without editing the discount.
- **Another product discount on the same items:** Shopify applies one product discount per line item unless your store is on Shopify Plus ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/discounts/discount-combinations)). See [Combine with other discounts](https://smart-bundles.io/help/troubleshooting/combine-with-other-discounts).
- Still not applying? See [Discount not applying](https://smart-bundles.io/help/troubleshooting/discount-not-applying).

**Reward customers who buy more** SMART Bundles includes Volume, Order goal, Shipping and Advanced discounts, automatic or with a code. Free, with every feature included. [Install SMART Bundles App & Upsells on the Shopify App Store](https://apps.shopify.com/smart-automatic-discounts).

## Frequently asked questions

### Why did all units get the higher tier's discount?

That's how a Volume discount works: one tier, the highest reached, applies to every qualifying unit. For tiers per product, set Group by to Product.

### Can shoppers see the tiers on the product page?

Not with a Volume discount. Use a bundle with Quantity breaks for tiers on the product page. See [Quantity breaks](https://smart-bundles.io/features/quantity-breaks).