Why Am I Seeing DUMMY-COUPON Instead of a Real Discount Code?

If you're using the WooCommerce Cart Abandonment Recovery plugin and find that your test emails contain a placeholder like DUMMY-COUPON instead of a real, functional coupon code, you're not alone. This is a common point of confusion. This article explains why this happens and how to ensure real coupons are generated for your actual customers.

Why DUMMY-COUPON Appears in Emails

The most important thing to understand is that this behavior is completely normal and by design. The plugin intentionally uses a placeholder coupon during testing to prevent your WooCommerce system from being flooded with unused, real coupon codes every time you test your email template configuration.

As seen in the support threads, the plugin's developers have confirmed that "for test emails plugin will always send dummy coupon but yes, for real purchase plugin will add usable real coupons in the email." The dummy coupon serves only as a visual preview in your test messages.

Prerequisites for Real Coupon Generation

For the plugin to generate a real, unique coupon code when an actual customer abandons their cart, you must have the coupon feature correctly configured. A missing configuration is the most common reason users do not see real coupons in live emails.

1. Enable Coupon Creation in the Email Template: Navigate to WooCommerce > Cart Abandonment > Email Templates. Edit your desired follow-up email template. Within the template settings, you must find and enable the option to "Create Coupon". This is a crucial toggle that activates the coupon generation feature for that specific email.
2. Configure the Coupon Details: Once the "Create Coupon" option is enabled, a new section should appear allowing you to configure the coupon's properties, such as discount amount, type, expiry date, and usage limits.
3. Include the Coupon Code Variable: Ensure your email body contains the shortcode {{cart.coupon_code}}. This is the variable that the plugin replaces with the dynamically generated coupon code.

Webhooks Are Not Required for Email Coupons

Another point of confusion is the role of webhooks. As one user asked, "if I don't click on the Enable Webhook, checkbox, the Create Coupon Code is not shown.&quot

According to the plugin's support team, this is not a bug. The "Create Coupon Code" option visible in the Webhook settings is separate from the coupon creation for email templates. Enabling a webhook is not a requirement for generating coupons that are sent via the plugin's automated abandonment emails. You can fully configure and use email coupons without setting up any webhooks.

Testing and Verification

Since test emails will always show DUMMY-COUPON, the only way to verify that real coupons are working is to perform a live test:

1. Add a product to your cart.
2. Proceed to the checkout page.
3. Enter a valid email address and some details (you do not need to complete the purchase).
4. Close the browser tab or navigate away to "abandon" the cart.
5. Wait for the configured time delay for the email to be sent.
6. Check the email you entered; it should contain a unique, valid coupon code generated by WooCommerce.

If you have followed all configuration steps but real coupons are still not generating in live scenarios, it is recommended to double-check each setting. The issue is almost always that the "Create Coupon" toggle within the specific email template has not been enabled.