The coupon code is a slap in the face (2013)
justinjackson.ca
The coupon code is a slap in the face (2013)
1–10 of 33 posts
Re: The coupon code is a slap in the face (2013)
#2The way I was taught it is against your interest to distract people during the checkout process; if they see an ad or otherwise go on a wild goose chase they might fail to finish and it costs you $$$.
Also shoppers like a bargain but discounting is the worst of all sales tactics because it comes straight off your bottom line.
Re: The coupon code is a slap in the face (2013)
#3After reading this article I clicked the “discuss on hacker news” link. It led me to this thread [0] with ample discussion.
Re: The coupon code is a slap in the face (2013)
#4I wonder if CNN deciding to do coupons was at the same time they gave up on doing news.
Re: The coupon code is a slap in the face (2013)
#5The way I was taught it is against your interest to distract people during the checkout process; if they see an ad or otherwise go on a wild goose chase they might fail to finish and it costs you $$$. Also shoppers like a bargain but discounting is the worst of all sales tactics because it comes straight off your bottom line.
Since the inception of discount codes I've yet to see a retailer succeed with the strategy over the long term. Maybe it does increase conversion at the point of sale, since there is always an element of 'cart abondonment', but would a critical mass of those customers have come back to buy a few days later regardless - I supsect so?
What does happen though is that your customers come to expect a code all the time and if there isn't one they'll wait until there is or go to your competitor who does have one. It's a race to the bottom you don't really want to win.
Here in the UK, a few famous retailers have recently gone bust or are well on their way to doing so. They all blame Covid, of course, but they were all dying a slow death anyhow and, yes, every one of them were discount code enthusiasts.
Re: The coupon code is a slap in the face (2013)
#6I've actually halted purchases because of this, where I'd run a search and see a retailer regularly has X% off sales and it would be stupid to continue buying the product I was happily going to purchase instead of waiting a few weeks.
Re: The coupon code is a slap in the face (2013)
#7The way I was taught it is against your interest to distract people during the checkout process; if they see an ad or otherwise go on a wild goose chase they might fail to finish and it costs you $$$. Also shoppers like a bargain but discounting is the worst of all sales tactics because it comes straight off your bottom line.
Just anecdotal, but this has absolutely been the case for me.
I can think of several times getting to a checkout, seeing the coupon code field, and then beginning the hunt for a code.
Usually I'd end up on the usual ad-filled scam sites, or find a discussion of past codes or seasonal promotions and then decide to wait... and then forget about it and not end up buying.
Re: The coupon code is a slap in the face (2013)
#8I totally relate to this as an American, but I wonder about cultures where (as I understand it) price negotiation is the norm. Do they feel "cheated" if there is no way to negotiate?
Re: The coupon code is a slap in the face (2013)
#9Oh. Apparently there is a way to implement this in woocommerce. https://docs.woocommerce.com/document/url-coupons/
Re: The coupon code is a slap in the face (2013)
#10It seems like it would be better to take a play from the brick&mortar retailers playbook. Just always have things on sale. People flock to sales tags. Even if the "sales" price is the normal price, as long as there is a higher prices slashed out and a new price matching the % on the sales tag, then most people just accept they are getting a deal.