A promotion can lift sales, but a badly calculated one eats your profit. The key is three things: know the margin before you discount, use automatic promos with clear rules, and control manual discounts at the register. This article covers how to set up promotions and discounts that do not lose money in Bakasir.
Do the math first: how much extra do you need to sell
Before creating a promotion, work out the product's margin. An illustrative example: a product sells for Rp15,000 with COGS of Rp11,000, so gross profit is Rp4,000 per unit. With a 10 percent discount the price becomes Rp13,500 and gross profit drops to Rp2,500.
To earn the same total gross profit as before, you must sell 4,000 divided by 2,500, or 1.6 times the original quantity. In other words, a 10 percent discount only makes sense if you are confident sales will rise by more than 60 percent, or if the goal is to clear slow stock. How to work out COGS is in the COGS and gross profit guide.
Promotions and discounts: four ways to lower a price in Bakasir
| Method | Who applies it | Plugin needed |
|---|---|---|
| Manual discount | The cashier, typing an amount | No |
| Automatic promotion | The system, from rules | Promotions & Discount |
| Quantity price (tiers) | The system, from the quantity | Quantity Pricing |
| Loyalty points | The customer redeems points at the register | Loyalty & Membership |
A manual discount is an amount of money, not a percentage. The steps are in discounts, promotions and quantity prices.
Automatic promotions: set tight rules
In Sales > Promotions, tap New Promotion. Choose Percentage, Fixed or Buy X Get Y, then set what it covers: the whole order, selected products, categories or brands. The limiting rules that keep a promotion safe:
- Minimum Purchase, so the discount only applies on a large enough basket.
- Start and end dates, so a promotion is not forgotten.
- Time of day and days of the week, for example only in quiet hours.
- A specific store, if the promotion is for one branch.
Once active, the promotion reaches the register by itself and its name shows on qualifying lines. The Promotions button at the register shows what is live right now.
Stacking rules: promotions do not stack
Bakasir deliberately limits stacking so nothing leaks by accident:
- Only one promotion applies to a sale, the one that gives the highest discount.
- A manual discount replaces automatic promotions. As soon as the cashier types a discount, no promotion is applied to that sale.
- A tier price sets the line's unit price, and a promotion is calculated on the price in the cart.
- A discount cannot exceed the cart value.
- The server checks the final price when the sale is saved. If the price changed while the cashier was working, the cart refreshes and the customer pays the new total.
Tiered wholesale prices without manual cuts
Instead of every cashier giving their own cuts, it is safer to use Quantity Pricing. On the product form, switch on Enable Quantity Pricing, tap Add Tier, then fill in Min Qty and Price per Unit. A small simulation below the tiers shows the result for a quantity you type. Because the tier price is set on the product, every cashier gets the same price for the same quantity.
Manual discounts: control them with approval
Manual discounts are where leaks happen most. In Bakasir:
- A cashier with the Staff role who gives a manual discount or changes tax needs approval from a Manager or Owner.
- On Web POS, the manager enters their own Manager Approval PIN, set in the user menu under Profile > Approval PIN.
- In the Desktop app, the manager can type the POS PIN or approve remotely from the Portal or the Android app; the sale then continues by itself.
- Waiving the service charge also needs the same approval as a manual discount.
Each approval is recorded, so you can trace who approved what. See also how refunds work in the refunds and voids guide.
Plans and cost
Manual discounts are available on every plan. The Promotions & Discount plugin is included from the Mulai plan upward, while Quantity Pricing and Loyalty & Membership are included in Tumbuh and are paid add-ons on Mulai. Add-on prices at the time of writing: Promotions Rp39,000, Quantity Pricing Rp39,000 and Loyalty Rp79,000 per month. Check the pricing page for current figures.
Checklist before switching a promotion on
- Work out the margin and the extra sales needed.
- Fill in an end date.
- Limit days, hours and stores where needed.
- Set a Minimum Purchase on order-wide promotions.
- Tell cashiers that a manual discount replaces promotions.
- Review the sales report after the promotion ends and compare it with the earlier period, as in the daily sales report.
Next steps
Create a test promotion that ends tomorrow, sell one qualifying item and watch the cart. To build repeat customers, read a simple customer loyalty program.
Ready to try it yourself? The Free plan has no time limit and needs no credit card.
Keep reading
How to Calculate COGS and Gross Profit per Product with Moving Average (Worked Example)
A Simple Customer Loyalty Program: Points and Members for a Small Shop
Daily Sales Report: 10 Numbers Every Business Owner Should Check
Frequently asked questions
Can several promotions apply to one sale?
No. Only one promotion applies per sale, the one with the highest discount. A manual discount replaces automatic promotions instead.
Can a cashier give any discount they like?
A Staff cashier needs Manager or Owner approval for a manual discount or a tax change, through an approval PIN or remote approval in the Desktop and Android apps.
Are automatic promotions available on the Free plan?
Automatic promotions need the Promotions & Discount plugin, included from the Mulai plan up. The Free plan can still use manual discounts.
