A scheduled sale can show conflicting information when banners, product prices, and checkout rules change independently. Brief the agency on the whole promotion lifecycle, including the moment it ends.
Related service: Website and ecommerce development- 01Approve the rule
- 02Set the time zone
- 03Preview eligible items
- 04Activate and verify
- 05End and reconcile
SECTION 01
Write the promotion rule before designing the banner
Record the eligible products or variants, customer restrictions, discount method, currency, limits, and exclusions. Decide who approves reference-price claims and any required terms. The development team should implement the approved commercial rule, not invent a comparison price because a design looks more persuasive with one.
Stripe's coupon reference illustrates expiry and redemption limits, while MDN's caching guidance explains why a displayed page may remain older than its source. These are useful implementation references, not a requirement to use Stripe or a guarantee of a store's discount capabilities. Verify the chosen provider's supported behavior and the exact point where the final price is calculated.
SECTION 02
Illustrative example: a weekend sale ends while a cart is open
Imagine a homeware retailer schedules a sale to end Sunday evening in its operating time zone. A customer adds an eligible item before the deadline but checks out afterward. The business must decide which price applies, and the supported platform must enforce that rule consistently. The website should explain a changed total rather than silently submit a different amount.
Test the banner, product page, cart, and provider checkout around the boundary. A cached page may still display the old offer after the promotion ends. This hypothetical scenario also requires a clear staff answer when a customer asks about the price they saw; a screenshot alone does not establish the current rule.
SECTION 03
Accept the beginning and end of the campaign
Ask the agency to demonstrate a valid promotion, an excluded item, an expired promotion, and a cart containing both eligible and ineligible lines. Check the time zone and daylight-saving implications where relevant. Verify that any displayed savings match approved values and that the final order records the actual calculation.
The first release can use straightforward scheduled pricing rather than several interacting promotions. More combinations increase testing and support responsibilities. Name the owner who pauses a campaign if the website and checkout disagree, and document how related messages are removed. After the sale, reconcile a sample of orders and confirm that normal pricing, structured data, and public content are current. Do not treat campaign completion as only switching off an advertisement.
SECTION 04
Frequently asked questions
Which time zone should a sale use?
Choose and communicate one authoritative time zone, then verify the platform and scheduled content use it consistently.
Can an open cart keep an expired price?
That depends on the approved business rule and supported platform behavior. Specify it rather than assume.
Should a developer invent the original price?
No. The business must supply and approve any reference-price claim and relevant conditions.
PRIMARY REFERENCES
Sources and further reading
These references cover the standards, platforms, or published prices discussed in the guide. Worked examples and checklists are our editorial guidance.
- Coupon objectStripe Documentation
- HTTP cachingMDN Web Docs
EDITORIAL METHOD
About this guide
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