Online shopping is a means for pure convenience. Anything anyone could possibly want, can arrive at their doorstep or be instantly downloaded. Most retailers already think about this - they think about things like the importance of transparent shipping prices, they target users through email campaigns, they ensure their website is accessible, and more. However, there is a huge missed opportunity when it comes to offering online and automated couponing. Did you know that in 2022, 94% of people utilized a coupon and 38% of consumers buy more products than intended, just because they had a coupon? (CreditDonkey). How can we make sure these trends continue from in-person shopping to digital shopping? And how can you ensure your store is at the forefront?
Today, we’re diving into the details of how automated couponing can guide shopper behavior and increase their purchasing power. We’ll talk through what they are and how they work and the benefits they bring to retailers and shoppers.
Couponing Evolution
Only a couple years back, you probably heard the word “coupon” and immediately thought of Extreme Couponing. Moms curating binders and binders full of cut-out coupons so they can buy 100s of toilet paper rolls and somehow get the store to pay them for it. While both physical coupons and extreme couponers exist, technology makes coupons much more accessible and easy to use for the layperson.
What are Automated Coupons?
Automatic coupons are also known as digital coupons, or e-coupons. They are typically issued by retailers or online platforms and can be applied automatically during checkout. Automated coupons typically don’t require a code or require users to click multiple pop-up dialogs. These types of coupons are meant to streamline the checkout and the savings process.
How Do Automated Coupons Work?
When buying a good or service online, you’ll typically see automated coupons as clickable offers in the form of coupon codes. This can either be offered through the website itself, or through a browser extension, like Sleek. Businesses can partner with Sleek to provide a shopping companion to their users. You can utilize Sleek to offer automatic coupons to your users across multiple websites on both desktop and mobile - keeping things streamlined and straightforward.
With Sleek coupons and other automatic coupons, once you select the coupon code, the discount nodes are instantly applied to purchase. This means you don’t need to copy/paste or remember the coupon code. The savings are applied instantly.
Types of Automatic Coupons
Automatic coupons can offer different discount codes, based on the transaction and the user.
1. Percentage-based Discounts
The most discount type, percentage-based discounts, offer a percentage discount on the total amount due. Oftentimes, these are used with conditional logic. For example, you may receive 20% off your order of $100 or more.
2. Fixed Amount Discounts
Rather than using percentages, these discount coupons will offer you a certain amount off of your entire order. This might be $10 off your first order.
3. Free Shipping
Let’s face it - no one likes shipping fees. In fact, if you use a coupon code to eliminate a shipping fee, users may be more likely to purchase from you. “Extra Costs” was a driver of cart abandonment in 2023, driving 47% of abandon carts. This includes shipping fees.
4. Buy One, Get One (BOGO)
This offers you a free item after you already purchase a specific piece of merchandise. For example, if you buy one pair of shoes, you can get a second pair at no cost.
5. Loyalty Rewards
Some coupons are less monetary than others. Some coupons are associated with loyalty programs. Customers can earn points with every purchase via additional coupons and then use those points to redeem discounts later on. This points can be redeemed for things like gift cards, or other free products.
The Benefits of Automatic Coupons
1. Effortless Savings
The top benefits of automated coupons is how straightforward they are. Your online users no longer need to search the internet to find coupon codes. They don’t need to save the postcard you send in the mail. They don’t need to save your emails and then make sure they remember the discounts you’ve been sending them every month. With automatic coupons, the savings flow is effortlessly integrated in the checkout flow.
2. Real-Time discounts
All digital coupons have the opportunity to offer deals close to real-time, but automatic coupons can do this the best. Because the coupon codes are offered and applied at checkout time, you have the opportunity to offer the best available deal, and customize it specifically for a user’s cart.
3. Enhanced Shopping Experience
It’s a pain when you need to leave and go searching for discount coupons. You’ve been disrupted, you get distracted, and it’s just plain annoying. Automatic coupons during checkout make the shopping experience smooth, and user-friendly. Because the coupon codes are applied at checkout, you don’t need to worry about user discover through coupon campaigns or coupon marketing - it all just happens at the time of transaction.
4. Increased Cart Conversions
Piggy-backing on my previous point, when shoppers leave to go find discounts, they’re not guaranteed to come back to your site. They might discover discount codes that work better on a different website for the same product, or they might forget they were in the middle of a checkout altogether. You want to avoid disruptions in the checkout flow as much as possible, and keep users engaged and on your page.
5. Personalization
Some automatic coupon systems, like Sleek, use machine learning to personalize offers on the fly. These smart coupons means that shoppers can get discounts for products that they actually have an affinity toward and that meet their expectations.
In addition to Sleek, other products like Capital One Shopping chrome extension also offer automated coupons to consumers. So does Rakuten, RetailMeNot, Honey, and other shopping extensions. Unlike Sleek, these companies target consumers. Sleek is a B2B offering, helping you create experiences specifically targeted at your own users and customers.
Interested in learning more? Contact us at hello@onsleek.com or request a demo!
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