Did no-one learn anything from JCPenney debacle? People LOVE coupons. I've never seen a coupon code field, where I didn't find a coupon and felt like I was getting hoodwinked as this author seems to suggest.
Coupon codes are useful for promos and such. Not every customer pays the same amount, thats how the world works.
I think you are missing the perspective of the article. Coupons (and their online codes) are a great tool for the recipients.
The article is from the perspective of a customer without a coupon. In that case, the presence of the coupon code field actually makes you less likely to buy or convert. This article isn;t blaming the methodology. It is saying the status-quo presentation is poor and needs improvement.
They can go online and search for coupons. It never takes me more than two or three minutes to find a coupon through Retailmenot and another aggregator. If no coupon exist or if they're all expired, then I'll pay full price. There is no downside for me. I don't understand why this equivalent to a "slap in the face." Frankly, this vastly improves my shopping experience through occasionally saving me money, while never exposing me to any risk or increasing the prices that I pay.
oh i got the perspective. I just think the guy is being overly dramatic. So much of this stuff is overly subjective anyway. If he came in already with intent to purchase sees possible savings but can't find them, he is unlikely to leave because his mind was already expecting to pay X.
On one of our products http://pressbackup.com we have a coupon code, if customers can't find one, and they email me, I will generate one just for them. Those customers stick around for a LONG time.
I second this. There have been plenty of studies that show consumers love the idea of savings, even if they're just an illusion. People would rather pay $20 for a $25 item knowing they saved $5 rather than just paying $20 with no savings.
I think this is how Kohls works. Anytime we buy something there the receipt says like "total $30. You saved $83.26!". I know I really didn't save anything because I wouldn't pay $100+ for the things I purchased anyway and they wouldn't sell them for that much, but there is some effect to seeing things like that.
I love that. In start up land people always seem to ignore things that have been done successfully for years thinking that certainly there is something wrong and legacy business must be making huge mistakes and throwing out their money on things just because "it's the way it's always been done".
The problem of course is understanding which one of those things are wrong and which actually work (to which you really don't need studies) to prove.
In the analogous retail situation, with physical coupons, there is no "coupon code" field -- the cashier does not ask you "Do you have any coupons today?" Even worse would be for them to ask "Do you have the $10 off coupon on this dog food?" you'd feel like you lost $10. If you have a coupon, you present it to the cashier, and other customers aren't made aware of the fact that they're not getting the best price.
Coupon codes are useful for promos and such. Not every customer pays the same amount, thats how the world works.