As more and more consumers make searching for discounts a part of their shopping routine either you or your competitor will reap the rewards for your one time effort. This new customer may not find you because you have a coupon or discount code but rather choose to finalize their purchase with your company because you offer a discount.
Just how big is this marketing opportunity? From 2007 to 2008 online coupon usage grew by more than 130%. The savings from online coupons reached more than $850 million for 2009, a 170% increase over 2008. If you have an e-commerce store or you are looking for walk in customers originating from the Internet, discount codes and coupons should be a part of your marketing mix.
The buying behavior of the customer who searches to find a store off-line might use the newspaper ads or the yellow pages for their search. A business will advertise and offer coupons in those advertising channels to attract the buyer to visit their store and make a purchase. The online shopper however takes an opposite approach. First the buyer searches to find what they want to purchase and then performs a second search to see if there is a discount available before they finalize their purchase or decision to visit a local store.
It’s not very difficult for you to offer a discount. If you’re a local business, Google Places is where you want to start. It’s free and not only does it put you in Google maps but you can enter your business hours, add photos and video to your listing. You can also include a simple printable coupon. Google then makes it easy for the online searcher to find your business and your coupon.
Several web sites offer listings for discount codes. Tjoos.com has over 1,000,000 unique visitors per month. Add your website to their listings and online shoppers can enter that discount code into your online shopping cart.
To find other coupon factory type sites and list your discount codes, just search for “coupon discount codes” and visit the sites to see which are appropriate for you.
If you’re not using a discount or coupon code you may want to make it part of your online marketing plan. Offering discount coupon codes can easily bring additional revenue for your business and help you to be found on the Web.
