There’s a really interesting article and discussion over on the EKMPowershop website right now about Coupon Codes and whether having a field to enter a code on your website checkout is a good thing or not?
As Anthony Chesworth says: “Want your customers to feel they are being ripped off or losing out on a deal? Then make sure your online shop has a “Enter Coupon/Discount code” box on your shopping cart or checkout.
Every time I go on to a site that asks if I have a coupon code I do the same as 90% of other users and go to Google and start searching and alot of the time I end up buying the products elsewhere.”
You can follow the discussion here, including links to some more scientific research into the matter.
Personally I think it can be a problem, not least because when I see the field for a coupon I imagine that there must be coupons out there (even if that’s erroneous) and it does feel a bit rum to be paying full whack.
What do you think?
6 Responses
I have stopped doing the coupon reward thing as I sense that customers get an impression that if they see a coupon code box then my prices have to be marked up to cover this and that there may be better value elsewhere.
Look at nectar points and club card points. Somebody has to pay for these through higher prices. The public have wised up to this. Aldi and Lidl are the fastest growing stores in the UK and they don’t do any form of reward scheme. If ebay had a nectar scheme opt out in return for lower fees I wonder how many ebay sellers would choose to opt out?
When there is box but not code:
Customers are driven away to find code. Being frustrated on not finding code there is less chance of return. Hence, Abandoned Basket.
It is best to only show the discount code box to those customers that have arrived via affiliate links or marketing emails. Alternatively, don’t display the box et all.
It is best to test for your own website with A/B testing on the checkout page. Keep an eye on “Basket Abandonment” rate and make your judgement. I am not the expert on this by the way!
Coupon codes are a joke.
Regardless of the platform or site, whenever I search for a Coupon Code I nearly always find either nothing or if lucky, its now out of date.
In about 3 years of doing this (probably made 50 to 80 searches) I have only once found a VALID and IN DATE code, but at the same time another search result showed the item cheaper to purchase elsewhere.
Total waste of time and now I don’t bother.
Better off just searching for suppliers and picking the cheapest!!