Lots of shoppers regularly use online stores. That’s because of lower prices and shopping convenience. Within a few days the purchase is delivered to our door, which is extremely important for many online buyers, especially for those who live in a small towns, where the nearest conventional store with a similar range of products is even several kilometers away. Another important factor that greatly affects popularity of online shopping is coupon codes, available in many different stores.
Individual coupon codes
A vast amount of online stores honor individual coupon codes given away to shoppers for regular purchases, participation in a loyalty program or, on the contrary, to new customers, for new purchases or as a thank-you for subscribing to a newsletter. This type of discount codes is usually not very attractive, it may give a few percent discount on selected products or the entire range, but it’s still a good idea to benefit from this type of sales promotions, as with larger purchases we can save quite a nice amount of money. There are, of course, exceptions, for example coupon codes that offer really attractive discounts, yet most stores do not honor them or keep them only for their regular customers. Regardless of a discounts granted, it is worth enjoying such discounted pricing even if our online purchase is usually small.
Universal and widely available coupon codes
Widely available coupon codes can be used by everyone and are often even more attractive than individual coupons, although they aren’t so widespread. They can be usually found on special websites offering various types of discounts for specific online stores. A coupon code available on such a website may give 20% off or more, which is a titbit for a shopper. So, it’s a good idea to regularly visit websites with coupon codes to find a good deal. Many of them offer not only coupons for online stores, but also, for example, discounts when booking inter-city journeys, or a refund of a certain amount for signing a contract with a telecommunications network. However, we should remember that coupon codes are usually valid only online, so we will not get a refund for signing a contract in a brick-and-mortar branch, unless such an option has been included in the offer.
When can we find the greatest number of discounts?
Although new discount codes appear on websites regularly, it may happen that there are not many of them at certain moment and we do not know why. We must remember that coupons in online stores work similarly to those in conventional ones. New coupons can be found during the sales promotions, although in such a case they may only work for specific products instead of the entire range, or on the occasion of Christmas or other special events. We will see a real crop of discounts around such days as Women’s Day or Black Friday. So if these holidays or other important events are coming, we should expect a large number of new coupon codes – including those that we may potentially find interesting.
Why do stores honor widely available coupons?
While coupon codes for regular customers are completely understandable, we may sometimes wonder what benefits stores derive from coupons available to the public. First of all, we must remember how discounts, including those perfectly local ones, work. Shoppers love various promotions, thus, seeing an attractive discount, they are more willing to visit the store and make purchase. It works the same for both online and brick-and-mortar stores. Online coupon codes additionally bring one more advantage. Added to information services, they become a form of extremely effective advertising. If we take into account these both factors, a universal discount code seems even more profitable than the one granted under specific conditions. Moreover, it explains why widely available coupons often activate higher and more profitable discounts. Their task is to encourage as many shoppers as possible to buy, being a kind of advertisement, which, by definition, must be as attractive as possible.
Kinds of stores offering discounts
It’s hard to determine which stores offer valid discount coupons. However, there is a tendency indicating that majority of discounts are granted by clothing stores, or those with home textiles. Relatively few coupon codes can be found for home electronics accessories stores, and even if such coupons are available, they cover a certain group of products rather than the entire range. Moreover, there are often various non-standard offers, such as the above mentioned booked travel or refunds for signing a contract. Therefore, it is difficult to clearly determine which kind of stores honor discount codes. If we are interested in a particular store, where discount codes haven’t been available so far, we should, first of all, regularly check new offers: there is a good chance that in the future this one will also launch such an effective form of advertising.
How to redeem a coupon code?
Redeeming a coupon code may seem difficult, but in reality it is very simple and intuitive. To use a coupon, just enter it in a special coupon field when checking out, before making payment. If we write the whole code correctly, the amount should be subtracted. It happens, however, that the amount is not discounted correctly or the coupon code does not work at all even if we follow the instructions closely. If so, contact the store, which will help solve a problem with a coupon.
I’d like to add something. There are a lot of websites with fake coupon codes. Owners of these websites want only their visitors to click provided links so they would get a commision. Beware.