Coupon codes have been around for over a century. The first coupon dates back to 1887 (customers could exchange it for a can of Coca-Cola at their local pharmacy).
In 2020, online coupon codes surpassed paper coupon codes for the first time. 90% of consumers used coupon codes, which led to a huge increase in online sales during the pandemic. In addition, customers who use online coupon spend 23% more on average.
Coupon codes offer a simple solution to many marketing challenges. They can help you get leads and feedback, increase overall purchase value, and even build customer loyalty.
In the article you'll learn about the benefits of different coupon styles and dive deeper into how to design and distribute customized coupons to boost your e-commerce lead generation.
Different Types of Coupon Codes
To create a coupon from scratch, it is useful to determine the type that is relevant to your business. There are two main types of digital coupon codes: single coupon codes and multiple unique coupon codes.
Single coupon codes are those that are available to a large group of people and have only one variation. So basically the same coupon code for all your customers.
Example: If Amazon is having a huge Black Friday sale with the coupon code Blackfriyay80, that code will be available on their website and social media platforms for everyone to use.
Multiple unique coupon codes are unique codes that can only be used once. So basically a unique coupon code for each of your customers. This type of coupon code is great if you want to build an email list and learn more about your customers in exchange for a coupon code for their next purchase.
Check out this example of a coupon giveaway. Click on it to see it in action:
Why Do Coupon Codes Work?
Coupon codes enhance the overall shopping experience for a product. Consumers like to feel like they are getting a 'good deal'. A study by the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies even found that receiving a coupon is more physically pleasurable than receiving a gift.
Online coupon codes give customers an incentive to buy your product. Customers benefit because they get the product they want at a lower price, and you benefit because your customers are more likely to make a purchase.
Hidden Benefits of Coupon Codes
Discount coupons are proven to increase the purchase value in your online store.
With online or printable coupon you can also motivate people to follow you on social media, sign up for your newsletter, or give feedback. If you need more data from your potential or current customers, offer coupons to encourage them to fill out a survey.
Also, customized coupons help you track the success of your marketing efforts. You can monitor which platforms generate the most traffic and leads, which can be very helpful for future marketing strategies.
Other benefits include attracting new customers, engaging old customers, and gaining market share by offering a lower price than your competitors. This can also help you personalize your customers' shopping experience. This should not surprise you, because 80% of online shoppers are more likely to buy from a company that offers a personalized customer experience.
How to Beautifully Design Coupon Codes in Minutes?
Let's go through 3 steps for creating, styling and distributing coupon codes easily and quickly. Do not worry, no technical knowledge is required, so you do not have to wake up your developer.
Step 1: Generate Coupon Codes
Generating coupon codes is easier than it sounds.
First of all, there are several e-commerce platforms that allow you to create coupon codes on their platform. Some of them are Shopify, WooCommerce and Prestashop.
Secondly, you can use external resources like Voucherify, Talon.one, RevLifter, or other coupon generators.
Step 2: Design a Coupon Giveaway Page
No programming or design skills are required to customize coupons. Check it out yourself! Grab one of the templates to create a custom coupon type:
Exchange Coupons For Customer Insights
From idea to execution in 5 minutes with editable templates
Using involve.me's no-code editor you can add text, images, videos, and animated GIFs to your coupon giveaway page in a matter of a few clicks. Tweak everything from colors and transparency to corner roundness and line thickness until it all fits your brand identity.
Here is how you can customise your coupon collection the way you want it:
If you want to create more personalized coupons from blank canvas, watch this video tutorial (from 3:25 min) and see how it's done, step by step:
Step 3: Distribute Unique Coupon Codes [Automatically!]
Once you have created your unique coupon codes, you can send them out into the real world.
If you have just one coupon code for all your customers, distributing them is quite simple. You can post it on all social media platforms and your website or email it to your customers directly.
With involve.me, the email can be sent automatically the second people finish their interaction with your page where coupon is shared. You can also customize the email with your branding.
If you have unique coupon codes that can only be used once and you want them to be exclusive to each individual customer, distribution is a bit more difficult.
You need to sort your customers by their preferences, location, etc. and collect their email addresses to send unique coupon messages. To do that, you can run a quiz or ask your customers to fill out a survey.
Create a free involve.me account to generate unique coupon codes, create a survey and display different results depending on the participants' answers.
Exchange Coupons For Customer Insights
From idea to execution in 5 minutes with editable templates
Final Thoughts
If you are selling online and not using coupons, you are missing out. Introducing coupons is one of the easiest ways to generate more sales with little effort. Create a few custom coupons (birthday coupon, gift coupon, or cart discount) to see how they can increase your sales.
Not all custom coupons are created equal. To be more effective, they should be personalized to the individual customer. Test different types of coupons, such as percentage discounts or free gifts, to see which ones work best for your specific audience.
Finally, it's also important to track and measure the results of your custom coupon campaigns. Use analytics tools to track conversion rates, coupon redemption rates, and overall sales to see which campaigns are working and which are not. You can use this data to fine-tune your custom coupon campaigns and optimize your lead generation efforts over time. Work smarter, not harder. And don't forget to share some coupons with us :)
