Coupons are a tried-and-true method for boosting sales and increasing engagement since their inception in 1887. Over the years, this marketing tool has evolved along with shifting customer habits and technological advancements. Today, digital coupon marketing is taking off, offering store owners a powerful way to connect with customers and meet them where they are–online!
This is a strategy you don’t want to miss. We’re here to help out! In this comprehensive guide, we’ll give you key tips on crafting a winning digital coupon strategy. What’s more, we’ll introduce you to tools that will make implementing these tips easier.
Ready to dive in? Let’s get started!
What Is Digital Coupon Marketing?
Digital coupon marketing works similarly to traditional coupon marketing: you offer shoppers a code they can redeem for a discount or perk, which then gives them a compelling reason to purchase. However, the main difference lies in how they’re distributed. Unlike traditional paper coupons, digital coupons are distributed and redeemed online. This makes them a versatile, accessible, and convenient promotional tool to attract and engage customers.
Digital coupons are pretty popular for today’s shoppers. According to industry insights, close to 60% of US customers use digital coupons when shopping. What’s more, 92% of customers regularly seek coupons and discounts when they shop. Over the past five years, the use of digital coupons has also grown by 35.80%.
These compelling statistics highlight the growing importance of digital coupons in modern retail. In the next section, we’ll dive into how you start leveraging coupons to grow your business.
Building A Winning Digital Coupon Marketing Strategy
Creating digital coupons is pretty straightforward. However, it’s a well-thought-out coupon strategy that can drive real results for your business. With a solid digital coupon marketing strategy, you can boost
sales, strengthen customer relationships, encourage loyalty, and stay ahead of the game. Let’s get straight into how you can do it.
1. Define your campaign goals
This is the first (and most crucial) step for building any marketing strategy, so don’t skip it! Defining your goals early on will guide your decision-making and help you measure success. Here are some of the most common coupon campaign objectives and how they align with different types of offers:
- Increase sales: Limited-time discounts can help you boost sales both during off-peak periods and big sale seasons.
- Improve order values: Coupons with minimum spend requirements can work wonders in encouraging customers to buy more per transaction.
- Enhance customer loyalty: If this is your goal, you may want to incorporate coupons as rewards in your loyalty program.
- Attract new buyers: This is where welcome coupons or first-time buyer discounts can be helpful.
As you can see, setting clear objectives will help you select the right types of coupons and promotions to offer. This brings us to the next crucial tip…
2. Choose the right type of coupon
Different types of coupons elicit different behaviors from shoppers. With your goals clearly defined, the next step is to choose the right types of coupons to support this goal.
For example, BOGO (Buy One Get One) coupons are a great choice if you want to clear slow-moving stock, encourage customers to try new products, or increase cart values.
Free shipping coupons, on the other hand, are excellent for cart abandonment campaigns. According to industry insights, extra costs like shipping and tax are the top reason for cart abandonment. Offering free shipping coupons can help reduce this friction and encourage customers to complete their purchases.
WooCommerce store owners can use plugins like Advanced Coupons to create virtually any type of coupon. This powerful plugin extends the default coupon functionality of WooCommerce, allowing store owners to create BOGO coupons, shipping discounts, URL coupons, and so much more.
Need inspiration? We’ve curated a comprehensive guide about the different types of coupons you can offer and the best times to use them. Check it out here. 👉
3. Set clear expiration dates
This tip is about leveraging a sense of urgency in your digital coupon marketing strategy–it’s a powerful motivator. When customers know that an offer is only available for a certain period of time, they’re more inclined to act to avoid missing out.
To make the most of this, consider running sales within short time frames. Flash sales that last between 24-48 hours are excellent for driving immediate sales. Holding this sale on big shopping days like Black Friday, Cyber Monday or Christmas can make it even more impactful.
🎯BONUS TIP: Use Advanced Coupons’ scheduler feature to create coupons that automatically activate on pre-set dates and times. This eliminates the hassle of turning coupons on and off manually, saving you precious time.
4. Make coupons easy to redeem
The goal is to make it easy for customers to claim their discount (if they’re eligible for it). Seamless coupon redemption helps enhance customer satisfaction and reduces friction during checkout, which can help you improve conversion rates.
Advanced Coupons, for instance, provide store owners with two main options to make discount redemption easier for customers:
- Auto-apply coupons: With this feature, you can automatically apply eligible discounts to the cart. This is helpful for sitewide sales, or specific promotions like adding free products to the customer’s cart.
- One-click apply notifications: This option provides customers with a clickable notification that applies the coupon if they’re eligible for a discount.
🎯BONUS TIP: Make sure only eligible customers can redeem discounts by setting cart conditions. Cart conditions define how and when coupons apply. For example, you can set minimum spend requirements, select which product discounts apply, or target only specific customer segments.
5. Get creative
All impactful marketing campaigns have a few key things in common: they’re memorable, catchy, and creative. In this day and age where customers are constantly presented with discounts and deals, getting creative can help you stand out from the crowd!
One way to do this is by incorporating gamification in your coupon strategy. For example, you can add spin-to-win wheels on your website or introduce tiered rewards that give customers better perks the more they spend. This can make shopping more fun and increase customer engagement.
Similarly, have some fun with coupon names! When running themed discounts and sales, give coupons memorable names that tie into the theme.
Need some ideas? We’ve curated a list of clever coupon code names to help you out! Check it out here. 👉
6. Promote across multiple channels
If you really want to maximize the impact of your campaign, it’s important to get the word out. This means using all your promotional channels to inform your audience about your campaign.
Take a look at these compelling statistics on where customers find coupons:
By promoting your exclusive deal across several channels, you can meet customers where they are and maximize your reach!
🎯BONUS TIP: Make it easier for customers to redeem coupons and claim their discounts via email, social media, and SMS with URL coupons. These one-click links apply discounts automatically for customers, making the redemption process easier!
7. Incorporate coupons into your loyalty program
Here’s another golden tip for your coupon strategy: use them as incentives for your loyalty program. Gifting customers coupons is one of the simplest yet effective ways to reward their unwavering loyalty. There are countless ways you can use them to enhance your loyalty program strategy.
For instance, you can offer:
- Special occasion coupons: Surprise loyal shoppers with birthday or anniversary coupons to celebrate customer milestones.
- Tiered perks: Offer exclusive coupons for different loyalty levels, where customers in higher tiers receive higher discounts.
- Referral coupons: Gift coupons for customers who bring in successful referrals.
🎯BONUS TIP: Using a loyalty program plugin can make setting up a rewards program a breeze. WooCommerce store owners can use Advanced Coupons’ Loyalty Program plugin to launch a points and rewards system in minutes. With this plugin, you can reward shopper actions like signing up as a customer, leaving reviews, completing orders, and more!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I promote my coupon code?
Email marketing is one of the most effective channels for promoting coupon codes. Consider segmenting your subscribers and sending out targeted email campaigns with exclusive coupon offers. You can also use social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok to post engaging visuals and videos that promote your campaign. For your website, consider adding pop-ups or optins to inform customers about ongoing promotions or sitewide campaigns.
What is a coupon marketing strategy?
A coupon marketing strategy is a solid plan that highlights how you can use coupons to achieve a particular business goal. For instance, if you aim to boost average order values, you might create coupons with minimum spend requirements. A strong coupon strategy typically includes defining your goals, choosing the right type of coupon, promoting it across marketing channels, and tracking performance metrics.
How does a digital coupon work?
Digital coupons are typically shared via code, link, or QR code. Customers can then redeem this code during checkout. For instance, a subscriber might receive an exclusive coupon promo code via email and visit your website to redeem the offer. Tools like Advanced Coupons make redemption of coupon codes easier by allowing store owners to auto-apply coupons once shoppers meet set cart conditions.
Conclusion
A well-thought-out digital coupon strategy can work wonders for your business. Coupons are powerful tools to drive sales, increase customer engagement, and foster loyalty. In this comprehensive guide, we walked you through the basics of creating a solid coupon campaign. To summarize, let’s walk through the tips below:
- Define your campaign goals
- Choose the right type of coupon
- Set clear expiration dates
- Make it easy to redeem!
- Get creative
- Use different channels to promote
- Incorporate coupons into your loyalty program
WooCommerce store owners can use tools like Advanced Coupons to launch coupon campaigns easily. This powerful plugin extends the default coupon functionality of WooCommerce, offering extensive features like BOGO deals, cart conditions, shipping discounts, URL coupons, and more.
Do you have questions about this topic? Let us know in the comments!
