Hello, voucher codes!

People love coupons and vouchers. According to Webinar by Yahoo! Small business, having vouchers/ coupons is one of the 5 must-have features in a Ecommerce platform. However, some retailers may become skeptical of them, since customers are likely to wonder off to other sites to find the voucher code when they see the box for entering the codes. Yes, I have done this as well, and if I cannot find anything I will be screaming 'it is not fair!!' and become a bit reluctant to continue the purchase. Sometimes I even got distracted and forgot to finish the purchase. I am not the only one. According to a study by PayPal and comScore, 27% of online shoppers has abandoned their carts because they 'wanted to look for a coupon'.





At the end of the day, it is about achieving the balance. You want to attract people by having voucher codes, but when customers are already attracted you do not want them to be hunting for the codes. Get Elastics have suggested some useful tips to minimize the damage of voucher code, while still offering them:


1. Exclusive visitors only
Using URL parameter, you can identify a certain group of audience hence you can have your voucher code box available to them only. For instance, only customers which have arrived through a certain link will be able to see the voucher code box. This way you would not be teasing them with the it. Alternatively, you can have the code auto-applied when they click through the link, or you can send them 'pre-discounted' links.


2. Private codes
These codes are sent to selected individuals only and they can only be used once, by the associated email address or account profile. The only concern is people who do not have the code may still be able to see the box and think they are missing out.


3. Obtain data by giving out vouchers
Suggest people to opt into your email list and reward them by a voucher code. When people checkout do not force them to register. Instead, show them that the voucher code is available, and also show them how to get it (by registering). This way you can have more subscribers! Below is an example of getting Facebook likes with giving out discount code.

4. Have you own voucher code page
Just like any other landing page, it is good for SEO purpose. Have the link to your own voucher code page in the checkout and people would not wonder off to find a code somewhere else, which can minimise the chance to abandon the shopping cart. For example, Argos has its own voucher code page:

5. Make it less obvious
Make your box less visible. Make the process of entering the voucher codes more difficult. Only people who have the voucher code will be looking for the box. This can improve the shopping experience of the no-voucher customers - at least they are less likely to see the code box.