Finding a discount code feels like getting a virtual high-five from your screen—it’s a small, joyful win. As we head into 2024, these high-fives could be your golden ticket to increased sales and customer loyalty.
According to a Journal of Retailing study, both product discounts and order coupons positively influence customer spending and purchase quantity. If you’d like some discount code ideas to capitalize on this, make sure to read up until the end of this post. (Spoiler alert: Each idea is a sales booster waiting to amp up your conversions!)
17 discount code ideas and tips for ecommerce businesses
1. Abandoned cart coupon code
Why not start at the point where people are likely to drop off: the shopping cart.
With nearly 70% of all shoppers leaving the cart stage, abandoned shopping cart coupon codes can be a powerful way to improve sales and boost customer satisfaction.
→ Click Here to Launch Your Online Business with Shopify
You can add these codes to your abandoned cart emails, along with other offers to encourage customers to finalize their orders.
Best practices and tips
- Segment your audience: Tailor your abandoned cart emails based on customer behavior and history. For example, first-time visitors might receive a different offer than repeat customers.
- Combine offers with valuable content: Alongside coupon codes, include content that adds value to the customer’s experience. This could be helpful tips related to products in their cart or even user-generated content showing the product in use.
2. First-time shopper offer
Capturing the attention of first-time shoppers is key. They might hesitate to buy from you if they’re not familiar with your brand. A special offer for first-timers can be the gentle push they need to become paying customers.
Best practices and tips
- Offer exclusive access: Along with the first-time shopper discount, grant them early access to an upcoming product or sale. This makes them feel like VIPs and shows there’s more to look forward to by sticking with your brand.
- Make follow-ups interactive: Don’t just send a boring “Thanks for buying” email. Mix it up. How about a quick quiz to figure out what they might like next time? Or a video showing their order on its journey? Such interactive content turns an ordinary buy-sell into something customers will remember for a long period.
3. Exit-intent pop-up offer
Last-second offers are a great way to turn visitors into customers. They pop up just as someone is about to leave your site or close the tab, making a final pitch to buy something.
Best practices and tips
- Capture attention: Craft a simple yet bold message for your pop-up that grabs the visitor’s attention and encourages them to buy before leaving (e.g., “Wait! Get 10% off your order before you go.”).
- Simplify with technology: Use an exit-intent app like Popupsmart to easily create and manage these pop-ups in your Shopify store.
4. Special holiday discount
During the holiday season, including big events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, shoppers are ready to spend more than usual. Special holiday offers are a great way to bump up the average cart total during this peak shopping time.
Best practices and tips
- Add a festive touch: Create unique, holiday-themed coupon codes. For instance, use codes like "JOLLY20" for a 20% discount or "SANTA10" for $10 off. This adds a fun, festive touch to your offers, making them more memorable.
5. Influencer offers
Offering a discount code to an influencer’s network is an effective way to increase exposure to your brand. You can partner with both micro-influencers and macro-influencers, as long as their content aligns with your brand’s values.
Best practices and tips
- Tailor the discount code: Create a discount code that connects with the influencer’s audience. It should be easy to remember and use.
- Pick the influencer wisely: Choose influencers whose followers match the kind of customers you’re looking for.
6. Minimum purchase discount
These discounts are all about encouraging customers to spend a bit more to unlock savings. For example, you might offer 15% off orders that exceed $50. This approach nudges customers to add a few more items to their cart, boosting your average order value.
Best practices and tips
- Tie discounts to order value: Boost the discount as customers spend more. It’s a clear incentive for them to add just a bit more to their cart, ramping up their savings as they go.
- Include a freebie: Toss in a surprise gift with orders that reach your set minimum spend. This gives your customers a cool extra and makes their purchase feel more valuable.
7. Prelaunch offers
When you’re just starting your business or launching a new product, prelaunch offers are perfect for getting attention and building excitement. They help put your brand on the map before your store opens or your new product hits the market.
Best practices and tips
- Keep in touch: Collect emails from interested folks so you can send them updates as your launch day nears.
- First dibs with preorders: Set up a preorder system. This lets your early birds get their hands on your new product before everyone else.
8. Newsletter signup offer
Offering a discount for newsletter signups is a common strategy. You get visitors’ emails, and they get a discount, making it a win-win for both.
Best practices and tips:
- Make signing up irresistible: In your signup form, emphasize all the perks. Let people know they’ll receive updates on new products, exclusive deals, and special event invitations. The more benefits you highlight, the more enticing it is for people to sign up.
9. Referral promo code
People often trust friends’ or family members’ recommendations. Capitalize on this by offering referral deals. You could reward the referrer, the new customer, or both.
Best practices and tips
- Use an app like Snowball to convert your existing customers into affiliates who spread the word about your products.
10. Loyal customers offer
Rewarding loyal customers does two things. First, it makes your bond with them even stronger. Second, it gives discounts to those who already buy from you. Shopify makes it easy to tailor discounts to specific groups of customers based on their purchase volume.
Best practices and tips
- Reward loyal customers directly: Send a personal email to your most frequent buyers with a unique discount or store credit.
- Create a loyalty program: A loyalty app like LoyaltyLion can help you set up a customer loyalty program where shoppers earn points or rewards for their purchases.
11. Stock clearance offer
Got new products coming in? It’s time to say goodbye to the old inventory. This is your chance to attract customers with some sweet deals to move old stock fast.
Best practices and tips
- Mix and match BOGO: Try a buy one, get one offer where customers can mix items from the old and new stock. It adds variety and interest.
- Try different coupon code ideas: Experiment with unique codes for different categories of clearance stock. For example, use “TECH20” for electronic items or “FASHIONCLEAR30” for clothing. This is a great way to spark interest among different customer segments looking for deals related to those items.
12. Retargeted promotions
Retargeted offers hit the mark because they’re shown only to folks who’ve visited your site already. That means they’re already familiar with your brand. These ads remind them to come back, and the deal you offer gives them a nudge to buy.
Best practices and tips
- Customize your retargeting: Tailor your discount ads to fit the different groups of customers who visit your site. This makes the offers more relevant to their interests and shopping habits.
13. Customer milestone discounts
If you run a customer loyalty program, celebrating customer milestones really matters. These could be personal moments like birthdays or anniversaries. Or, mark milestones in your relationship, like the anniversary of their first purchase, the day they joined your loyalty program, or other ways they’ve interacted with your brand.
Best practices and tips
- Appreciate your customers: Make sure to thank your customers in your discount offers. A simple thank you can keep them coming back to your brand.
14. Country holiday discounts
Use special days in different countries to create targeted sales. For instance, offer promo codes for Canada Day to Canadian customers, or for Diwali to customers in India. By aligning your promo code ideas with international holidays, you can create a sense of excitement and exclusivity for customers in those countries.
Best practices and tips
- Leverage social media marketing: Promote these country-specific holiday deals heavily on social media to maximize visibility. A well-timed social media campaign can drive significant traffic and sales for your site.
15. App shopping promo
If you’re looking to get more orders through your mobile app, try nudging your customers to use it for their purchases. Offering a mobile-specific discount can turn your app into a major shopping hub.
Best practices and tips
- Make discounts app-exclusive: Offer special promos or deals that can only be found in the app. This will increase its usage as well as drive conversions for your online store.
16. Free shipping discount
This discount type involves offering free shipping on your products. It’s a straightforward yet effective strategy to remove one of the major barriers to purchasing: the extra shipping cost. By doing so, you’re likely to attract more first-time buyers and keep your regulars coming back.
Best practices and tips
- Target your high-margin items: Focus on items where you make the most profit. Offering free shipping here helps move stock and saves money in the long run.
- Lean toward small, lightweight products: Choose items that are cheap to ship. This way, you offer a great deal without heavy shipping costs cutting into your savings.
17. Social media coupon
One of the best coupon code ideas is offering exclusive discounts to your social media followers. This approach can be particularly effective if you have a robust presence on platforms like Instagram or TikTok.
Best practices and tips
- Host social media challenges: Integrate codes into puzzles or riddles on your social platforms. This is a simple way to develop a sense of community among your followers. Let them work together to solve the codes and save money on their purchases.
Using discount codes to grow your brand
You now have 17 discount code ideas ready for use. But hold off on deploying them all simultaneously. Select one or two to start with. Test these out and observe carefully how your audience responds. If the reaction is lukewarm, make adjustments. If they’re enthusiastic, you’re on the right track.
Let these codes be your conversation starters. From here, the story of your brand grows, shaped by the very people you serve.
