10 Coupon & Discount Code Ideas to Get More Sales

Did you know that around 90% of U.S. customers have used coupons at least once? This probably comes as no surprise. Everyone loves saving money, and that's exactly what discount codes help people with.

Whether offered during holiday sales or seasonal lows, coupons and discount codes can drive more visitors to your digital storefront and push them down the sales funnel. A good price reduction can be enough to convince customers to take the final step and make a purchase!

The best part? These benefits don't end here. Offering a coupon or discount code can boost customer loyalty, increase brand awareness, improve customer retention, encourage repeat purchases, and generate word of mouth.

If you're struggling to learn how to use these tools to get more sales and take your eCommerce business to the next level, this post is exactly what you need. Read on to find the best coupon and discount code ideas!

Common Types of Discount and Coupon Offers

Coupons and discount codes are nothing new. The first of these special offers that managed to get customers hooked was used by Coca-Cola over 135 years ago! The following have been the most popular over time:

Percentage-Based Discounts

With these coupons, you can offer a percentage off the total price of a product or purchase. Although it could be any amount of your choice, these discount codes must be good enough to attract customers. Anything between 10% and 50% could be reasonable as long as you calculate your profit margin.

Free Shipping

It's one of the most popular discount code ideas, especially for online shopping. Many visitors stay on your website and add products to their carts but end up abandoning them because of shipping costs. However, offering this service for free is an excellent strategy to mitigate this.

Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO)

Also known as BOGOF or "two for the price of one," these discount codes allow customers to purchase one product and get an additional, identical one for free. Many retailers implement these discount code ideas when they want to clear out stock that has been sitting around for a while or overcome excess inventory.

Numerical Discount

A numerical coupon offers a fixed amount off the total price of a product, such as $10 or $80. This discount doesn't change, so it could be a good option for online merchants who want to take advantage of these tools but need to limit promotions to a specific amount.

Giveaways

Whether you want to get rid of older stock or show your customers that you appreciate them, giveaways could be a great coupon code idea. They're fun and so attractive! You can offer a free gift to customers who spend a specific amount of money, for example.

10 Discount Code Ideas

A bar or QR code? A series of numbers and letters? When it comes to promoting special offers, the possibilities are endless! Below are 10 coupon and discount ideas that will help you increase sales and boost your business.

#1 Holiday and Seasonal Deals

The holiday season tops the list of the busiest shopping days each year. Although most people are more eager to increase their average cart total when the mood is full of joy, many know they can save more on big-ticket items as Christmas approaches. That's why Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday deals are so popular.

Tips and Best Practices

• Try to launch promotional campaigns on specific days besides the holiday season, such as the Fourth of July, Valentine's Day, and Mother's Day
• List the best public U.S holidays and strategize your sales campaigns accordingly
• Apply these discount code ideas as early as possible and send coupons in advance

#2 Flash Sale Offer

If there's something that can grab customers' attention in a couple of seconds, it's definitely a big, red "Limited time only" sign. Flash sales offer excellent opportunities to save on products for a short period, creating a sense of urgency that will definitely help you see immediate results.

Tips and Best Practices

• Always set and stick to a specific time frame
• Use elements that drive a sense of urgency, such as a countdown, for communication
• Add extra information on promotional products, such as customer reviews, to help buyers feel more confident about their purchases

#3 Weekly or Monthly Discounts

You've probably seen these special offers at many online and brick-and-mortar stores, but there's a reason why retailers continue to use them – weekly and monthly discounts drive conversions. You just have to offer these price reductions at the end of a specific period. This is a great idea for selling off seasonal stock, for example.

Tips and Best Practices

• Combine this strategy with other discount code ideas, such as BOGO coupons
• Create urgency by using phrases like "limited time offer" and "last chance" or using a countdown timer
• Send reminders after announcing the deal

#4 Influencer Offers

The influence of celebrities and famous bloggers on people's purchasing behavior is undeniable. You can take advantage of this by partnering with an influencer who has a large audience and offering discount codes to their network. Many of their fans will become your customers!

Tips and Best Practices

• Make sure the discount code is relevant to the influencer's audience to help their followers remember the special promotion
• Partner with influencers who have a similar target audience to yours
• Create co-branded products or make product launches with influencers

#5 Abandoned Cart Coupon Code

Even the biggest businesses struggle with cart abandonment. However, you still have a chance to convince visitors to complete the purchase. Offering a "DONTGO" discount code can help you reduce the number of lost sales.

Tips and Best Practices

• Set an expiration date for the deal
• Show the shopping cart with the discount reflected when communicating the deal
• Use the customer's name and mention the product they left in the cart when announcing the discount

#6 First-Time Purchase Discount Code

Welcome or first-time coupons are definitely some of the best discount code ideas you can consider. By offering a price reduction to new visitors, you can encourage them to make their first purchase and build a positive first impression.

Tips and Best Practices

• Make sure the entire purchasing experience is positive and there are no shipping issues
• Add extra benefits to motivate first-time visitors to buy, such as gifts
• Use website pop ups to share the coupons or discount codes and make the most out of this strategy

#7 Exit-intent Discount Offer

Do you want to convert those visitors who are about to click the X in the top-right corner of their browsers into customers? Offering an exit-intent discount will make them stay at least a couple more minutes on your website. With a special promotion, you can convince them to reconsider their decision and make the purchase.

Tips and Best Practices

• Use short but attractive messages
• Create exit popups with discounts for your website
• Make sure offers are bold

#8 Referral Discount Codes

Never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth recommendations. Referral discount codes have become a winning marketing strategy for many retailers because they encourage customers to share special offers with others in order to get a reward or exclusive benefits.

Tips and Best Practices

• Offer an advantage to those who bring in new customers
• Use referral apps to automate the process and track discount codes
• Offer special promotions for special occasions

#9 Minimum Purchase Discount Code

Do you want to incentivize customers to spend a specific amount of money on your products? Minimum purchase promos are the best discount code ideas for this purpose. You only have to offer a reduction on the total purchase price if it's higher than a specific sum.

Tips and Best Practices

• Estimate your average order value for a few months and offer discounts on orders that are between 10% and 20% above it
• Match this discount with another benefit, such as free shipping
• Consider this discount code for replenishable or refilled products that can motivate customers to act quickly

#10 Bundle Discounts

If you identify items that work well together, you can bundle them into one package and offer discounts to customers who have that collection in their carts. This reduction should outweigh other promotions or discounts on individual prices to encourage people to make multi-product purchases.

Tips and Best Practices

• Connect complementary products or those that work well together
• Pay attention to how customers mix and match your products to optimize this strategy in the future
• Calculate the profit margin of each product in the bundle before setting the discount to avoid losses

Final Thoughts

Clever online merchants know that everyone loves a bargain and apply the best discount code ideas to take advantage of this!

Coupons and special promotions offer many benefits to your eCommerce business, serving as highly convertible tools that can increase sales and attract more and more people, especially if you use apps to create clever codes and pop-ups.

Do you want to use promotions to boost your business's bottom line? Apply these coupon and discount code ideas and get started with Coupon X today!