Everyone wants a bargain, even me. And we have come to expect “instant gratification” when we are shopping online. One trend that has grown is coupon giving and coupon searching. If you don’t believe me just try typing “coupon <insert store here>” into Google and see the plethora of results.
There seem to be different goals from the retailers offering the coupons. My personal belief is very quid pro quo. On our personalized gifts website we offer an instant coupon code in exchange for an email address, and if the customer subscribes to our gift giver club, we give them a code back by email they can use on their purchase today – usually in moments. The customer gets to save 10% NOW and I have the ability to market to them until they choose to unsubscribe.
I want that sale NOW – not tomorrow. And in some instances our customers are saving $15 – $40 per order and are willing to wait a few minutes for email delivery. It’s worth it. And we hope that we make it worthwhile for them.
National chains that I have dealt with online don’t seem to have the same interest. You can get on their mailing list, but I have yet to see one that offers an instant savings. An example is an Dick’s Sporting Goods online store – they clearly have a place on their home page that says “Sign Up and Save 10% on your next order” well I am not the typical shopper, but often my next order is TODAY. So I signed up, followed the instructions and checked my email. NOTHING. And actually it took 36 hours for me to receive the discount coupon. What if my interest had been an “impulse” buy and not a quest to save on a specific object. The 10% could push a shopper to the “BUY NOW” button. But after 36 hours, I would say the thrill of the kill is gone. Sure I can save 10% now, but I have come to my senses and realize I don’t need one more Yoga Mat – even at 10% off.
Now don’t misunderstand, I am not saying my way is perfect. But when a customer is in the checkout funnel, each step along the way has a point where the customer can just bail. If they get to the coupon code box and go back and check the site for coupon code – I want them to get their code and finish checking out. 90% of something is WAYYY better that 100% of an abandoned shopping cart.
If you have a coupon program or some other offer to accelerate the shopping cart truly think about how you are delivering the savings. Are you trying to get their name, their first purchase, a life long customer. You can’t earn them on the first one if you don’t deliver on your promises, even if its a coupon code.