URL Auto-Apply Links

URL auto-apply lets you create shareable links that activate a discount the moment a customer clicks them. No coupon code to type, no friction — the discount is silently applied to their cart.

How it works

1. You create a URL Token campaign linked to one of your discounts
2. The campaign generates a shareable URL like https://yourstore.com/?dino_apply=SUMMER20
3. When a customer visits that URL, Dino Discounts stores the token in their session, shows an optional notice, then redirects to the same page with the parameter stripped from the address bar
4. On the next cart calculation, the linked discount is applied automatically

The customer never sees a coupon code field and the token disappears from the URL after the first visit — clean and seamless.

Creating a URL Token campaign

1. Go to the Coupons tab
2. Click + New Coupon in the toolbar
3. In the New Coupon Campaign modal, set the Campaign Type to URL Token
4. Enter a campaign code — this becomes the value in the URL (e.g. SUMMER20 gives you ?dino_apply=SUMMER20)
5. Optionally select a Linked Discount rule
6. Click Create Campaign

Tokens can contain letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores only. They are case-insensitive on most database configurations.

Keep tokens short and memorable

Good: SUMMER20, VIP-WELCOME, FLASH_SALE Avoid: long random strings — customers may see the URL briefly before the redirect.

Building the shareable URL

Append ?dino_apply=YOUR_TOKEN to any page on your store:

https://yourstore.com/?dino_apply=SUMMER20
https://yourstore.com/shop/?dino_apply=SUMMER20
https://yourstore.com/product/blue-widget/?dino_apply=SUMMER20

The token works on any page — the customer lands wherever you link them, and the discount activates in the background. Link directly to a product or category page for the best conversion.

Use cases

Scenario	How to use it
Email campaigns	Include the auto-apply URL in newsletters — subscribers get the discount without hunting for a code
Social media	Share a link that “just works” — no code to remember or mistype
Influencer partnerships	Give each influencer a unique token for tracking
QR codes	Print the URL as a QR code on packaging, flyers, or in-store displays
Retargeting ads	Link abandoned-cart ads to a URL with a discount already applied
SMS promotions	Short URLs with auto-apply are perfect for text campaigns

How targeting conditions interact

When a customer clicks a URL auto-apply link:

1. Dino Discounts first checks whether the linked discount would fire naturally based on the cart contents and targeting conditions
2. If the discount already qualifies (e.g. the customer meets the spend threshold), it applies through the normal path — the URL just ensured the discount was noticed
3. If the discount would not normally qualify, the URL auto-apply forces it — the discount is applied regardless of targeting conditions

This means URL auto-apply links can effectively override targeting conditions. A “Spend $100 get 10% off” discount activated via URL will apply even if the customer has only spent $50.

Be intentional with targeting overrides

If you want the discount to still require certain cart conditions, consider using a coupon code campaign with a typed code instead. URL auto-apply is designed for “click and get the deal” scenarios where you want zero barriers.

One-time per session

URL auto-apply is intentionally one-time per session. After the discount is applied, the session token is cleared. If the customer removes all items from their cart and starts over, the URL-applied discount will not re-apply — they would need to click the link again.

Optional customer notice

You can configure a notice message that appears when the customer first arrives via the auto-apply URL (e.g. “Your exclusive 20% discount has been applied!”). This uses WooCommerce’s standard notice system and appears at the top of the page.

Customers can also type the token

URL token campaigns also work as typed coupon codes at checkout. If a customer knows the token value (e.g. SUMMER20), they can type it into WooCommerce’s coupon code field and it will activate the same discount. This gives you the best of both worlds — a shareable link for marketing, and a fallback code for customers who prefer to type.