How to set campaign dates in Group Management.
Flexible Workflow #
You don’t have to set dates right away!
After creating a group, you can:
- Go to Rules page first and create your discount rules
- Come back to Group Management later
- Set dates when you’re ready to go live
Your group stays in “yellow” status until dates are set — this is completely fine while you’re building your rules.
Why Dates Matter #
For discounts to actually apply to customers, every group needs:
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Start Date | When discounts begin (this day is included) |
| End Date | When discounts stop (this day is included) |
Both dates count! If you set Jan 1 to Jan 31, customers get discounts on both Jan 1 AND Jan 31.
The Calendar Popup #
Click on any date field to open the calendar:
Navigation #
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Go to previous month | Click ◀ arrow (top left) |
| Go to next month | Click ▶ arrow (top right) |
| Jump to a year | Click on the year number |
| Select a day | Click on any date |
Visual Hints #
| What You See | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Circled date | Today |
| Grayed out dates | Cannot select (past or out of range) |
| Highlighted date | Currently selected |
For the Start Field #
- Past dates are grayed out (you can’t start a campaign in the past)
- If End date is already set, you can’t pick a Start after End
For the End Field #
- If Start date is already set, you can’t pick an End before Start
- End must be today or later
Quick Buttons (Time Savers!) #
At the bottom of the calendar, you’ll find 5 shortcut buttons:
| Button | What It Does | Fills Which Field? |
|---|---|---|
| Today | Sets to today’s date | Only the field you clicked |
| Tomorrow | Sets to tomorrow | Only the field you clicked |
| This Week | Today → end of week | Both Start AND End |
| Next Week | Full next week | Both Start AND End |
| This Month | Today → end of month | Both Start AND End |
Smart Behavior #
- This Week/Month: If the week or month already started, Start is set to TODAY (not the actual week/month beginning)
- Week start day: Follows your WordPress setting (Settings → General → Week Starts On)
No Save Button Needed! #
Changes save automatically as soon as you:
- Pick a date from the calendar
- Click a quick button
You’ll know it worked when:
- The status badge changes immediately
- A brief “Saved” message appears
Changes take effect immediately on your store — customers will see the new dates right away.
Timezone #
Dates follow your WordPress site’s Timezone setting (Settings → General → Timezone).
Important: This is your SITE timezone, not each visitor’s local time.
For example, if your site is set to “America/New_York”:
- Campaign starts at midnight New York time
- A customer in Tokyo sees the same campaign timing
- Everyone follows your site’s timezone
Start and End Work Together #
The system prevents invalid date ranges:
| If You Set… | Then… |
|---|---|
| Start = Jan 15 | End calendar only shows Jan 15 and later |
| End = Jan 31 | Start calendar only shows Jan 31 and earlier |
This makes it impossible to accidentally set End before Start.
What Can Go Wrong #
Missing Dates #
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| Only Start filled | Yellow badge — need End too |
| Only End filled | Yellow badge — need Start too |
| Neither filled | Yellow badge — set both |
Past Date Rules #
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Setting new Start in past | ❌ Not allowed |
| Setting new End in past | ❌ Not allowed |
Running Campaign Protection #
| Campaign State | Start | End |
|---|---|---|
| Not started yet | ✅ Editable | ✅ Editable |
| Only Start set (no End yet) | ✅ Editable | ✅ Editable |
| Currently running | 🔒 Locked* | ✅ Today or later |
| Already ended | 🔒 Locked | 🔒 Locked |
Details:
- Only Start set: Still in editing mode — you can freely change dates
- Running campaign End: Cannot set End to a past date (minimum is today)
- Start lock setting: Can be disabled in plugin settings
- Ended campaigns: Locked to protect statistics data — changing dates would corrupt your reports
Tips & Best Practices #
- Create rules first, set dates later — dates aren’t required immediately
- Use quick buttons — “This Month” is fastest for monthly promos
- No save button — changes apply instantly
- Check the badge — always verify status after setting dates
- Week setting — if week seems wrong, check WordPress settings
