4 Creative Ways to Build a Coupon Marketing Strategy that Increases Sales

Why do 72% of millennial consumers abandon their shopping carts? According to Neil Patel, it’s because they’re searching for discount vouchers online.

There’s no doubt about it: everyone wants to save a buck, especially in these tumultuous economic times. For e-commerce brands and marketers, creating a discount voucher program is a strategic way to attract new customers and upsell in the shopping cart. Bottom line: digital coupons deserve a slot in your marketing strategy. Why?

Because research shows that 77% of shoppers spend more with discount vouchers — yes, that’s right, people spend more money when they know they’re saving money.

Why pocket the savings when you can roll over the money saved into another item? Ultimately, people love to save money and feel like they’re getting good value, which is why you need to roll out a digital coupon marketing strategy.

Ready to dish out the deals? Before you make it rain coupons, consider that discount vouchers must be diverse, relevant, timely, and offer value to your customers.

Keep reading to learn creative strategies for building a successful discount voucher campaign that increases sales.

1.  Create urgency with timely discounts

Every season invites new opportunities for consumers to spend (and save) money. The good news is that every industry can capitalize on seasonal discounts. What’s more, consumers expect deals from their favorite brands during special occasions and holidays.

But don’t stop there. If you have a new product launch in the mix, consider sending out discounts on old product lines to make space for new inventory.

Whichever timely discount vouchers you decide to offer, urge customers to take action by making the discounts limited-time offers.

Ultimately, you want customers to act now, not later. Here’s how:

• Research your competitors: what type of discount are they offering? Think about how you can beat it. For example, if they’re offering a limited 10% discount, up the ante and offer a free gift with purchase or expedited shipping.
• Get precise on your timeline and tell customers exactly when the offer ends, down to the date, hour, and minute.
• Send out emails reminding subscribed customers to make their purchase before the clock runs out.

Fortunately, there are year-round events and holidays to keep your timely discounts active. You’ll also want to employ more static methods for running online discount vouchers.

2.  Offer customer rewards

It’s true: 84% of customers show brand loyalty when the brand they love rewards their loyalty with discounts. The best part about implementing a rewards program is that it creates exclusivity, meaning only the most loyal customers receive special discounts.

There are several strategies to do this effectively:

1. Create milestone rewards. For example, when a customer approaches their 1st anniversary with your company, throw in a free gift or discount voucher.
2. Roll out a store credit card like Nordstrom’s Nordy Club Rewards, which offers customers 1 point per $1 spent. The program has loyalty levels and when met, customers get rewards called “notes” — cash vouchers.
3. Reward new customers. When first-time shoppers come to your site, reward them with a cash voucher to get their cart started.

Sometimes, even the most loyal customers drift away from their shopping cart. How can you bring them back?

3.  Distribute coupons across multiple channels

Studies find that 72% of online shopping will migrate to mobile this year. Considering consumers spend time on multiple channels and apps, you’ll need your discount vouchers in more places than one to reach a broad network of customers.

• Retarget with abandoned cart emails. The term “window shopping” breathes new life online, because people love to shop, add items to their cart, and bounce away. In fact, 77% of shoppers abandon their carts. Why not incentivize them to return to their cart and proceed to checkout with a special discount code automatically sent to their inbox? With abandoned cart discounts, you’ll recover an average of 7% in revenue! Use an automated software solution like Omnisend to nudge buyers toward the checkout.
• SMS coupons. People carry their phones with them everywhere. Send discount vouchers straight to their mobile with SMS coupons. Send subscribers short, clear, bite-sized deals like this example from Joann Fabrics. Get started with an automated text message marketing service like Textedly, SimpleTexting or Podium.

• Social media. As of 2021, 2 billion people worldwide use social media and 63% of consumers follow a brand solely for finding discounts and coupons. Deliver what they crave by incorporating coupon marketing into your social media strategy. Share discount vouchers regularly to the platforms your audience is most engaged in, like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Even the best coupon marketing ideas will fall flat if executed poorly, which is why we need to talk about design and aesthetics.

4.  Make your discount vouchers clear and appealing

There are a few key components to a successful discount voucher. Nail them, and you’ll attract customers to your website and boost sales. But miss the mark? Well, let’s avoid that. Instead, create eye-catching, stimulating, clear visuals that entice your customers.

One of the best ways to do this is to work from an easily customizable voucher template from a free design software like PosterMyWall.

With free downloads, endless customizations, and accessible editing tools, you can quickly craft attractive graphics with branded colors and fonts.

Remember that discount vouchers are a sales method, and they should be attractive enough to warrant usage. Make your discount vouchers look good, send a clear message, offer a juicy discount, and you’re ready to go!

Ready to launch your coupon marketing strategy?

Coupon marketing is an effective way to promote your brand and grow your online business. First, craft clean, visually engaging discount vouchers. Then, employ the strategies in this article to creatively reach your audience, sell your products or services, and breed brand loyalty. Time to let the good deals roll!