With the explosion of e-commerce and digital marketing, one of the challenges facing retail brands is to encourage their online prospects to visit their stores. Moreover, e-couponing is among the most effective marketing levers of the distribution of discount coupons and vouchers.
Indeed, by digitizing coupons, brands can boost their sales not only online, but also in their physical points of sale. In this article, we’ll take a look at the benefits of e-couponing, particularly in terms of converting and building loyalty, increasing in-store traffic and maximizing ROI.
Also, we’ll introduce you to a particularly effective gamified format for distributing coupons to your audience: the 100% instant win game.
What is web couponing?
Web couponing (or e-couponing) is quite simply the digital equivalent of the classic discount coupon. Rather than distributing paper coupons (after a checkout, via a catalog or by mail), brands can now digitalize their couponing.
Coupons can take many forms, such as a QR code or a barcode. Moreover, it can be printable, distributed via email or in the form of mobile coupons (known as m-couponing). The discount code is sent directly by SMS or MMS to the customer’s phone, or via the brand’s application.
Like any discount coupon, the main aim of this lever is to encourage consumers to make a purchase, buy more or buy again from the company.
While digital coupons were originally used by e-retailers to offer their customers a digital alternative, web couponing is now a popular tool in retail. In fact, it enables brands to increase traffic, boost sales in their physical stores and to build customer loyalty. It has thus become a highly effective web-to-store lever.
Finally, at the checkout, customers with a digital coupon present the QR code or barcode. The discount is applied immediately via the store’s computer system. It can be used online (in which case it takes the form of a unique discount code).
Why adopt e-couponing? Benefits and examples
Web couponing offers many advantages for brands. Before implementing a strategy, it’s worth understanding what results a company can expect when distributing digital coupons to its audiences.
1. Acquire new customers
Offering discount coupons, whether digital or paper, is always a good way to attract new customers. For example, the brand can offer exclusive discounts valid only on a first purchase. It can also send a promotional code when a customer subscribes to its newsletter. In general, the opportunity to take advantage of a discount can convince prospects who have never purchased from the company to place a first order.
2. Boost in-store traffic
A recent study conducted by CPA revealed that over 90% of Internet users say they are ready to use a discount voucher found online. In order to make a purchase in a physical store. Offering digital coupons is therefore an excellent way of increasing in-store traffic and converting online-activated prospects into retail customers.
To maximise its drive-to-store strategy, the brand can offer coupons that are only valid in-store, or only on offers available at its points of sale.
3. Build customer loyalty and increase repurchase rates
Coupons can also be a way of rewarding loyal customers. In fact, this will encourage consumers to return to the store or buy from the brand. The coupon can be integrated into the company’s loyalty program, or sent by SMS at a strategic period in the marketing calendar.
To make the most of the loyalty-building benefits of coupons, the key is to personalize campaigns. The brand can distribute discounts on customers’ birthdays or when they reach a new level in their loyalty program.
4. better track and maximize campaign ROI
Measuring the performance of retail campaigns can be more complex. Couponing enables brands to better target their efforts and track their ROI in-store, as each coupon can be encoded in the checkout system.
This marketing strategy is therefore agile and easier to implement than printing and distributing paper coupons. Companies can therefore test different approaches (triggers for distributing a new coupon, discount amounts, etc.).
After analyzing the results of each A/B testing campaign, companies can adjust their strategy and maximize their results.
5. Increase your customer’s average shopping basket
A survey carried out by LH2 reveals that 67% of French consumers have already added a product to their basket in order to take advantage of a discount. 25% have even postponed a purchase in order to use a discount coupon.
E-couponing is therefore an excellent way to increase the average shopping basket of in-store shoppers (both physical and digital).
6. adopt more ethical maketing
One of the main disadvantages of physical coupons is that they are printed on paper. Even if it is printable, the e-couponing allows you to reduce the ecological footprint and adopt a more eco-responsible approach.
6. Improve your shopping experience
It’s also a good way to improve the customer experience by avoiding the risk of customers losing or forgetting their discount voucher before going to the store. Coupons can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Companies can even send reminders by SMS, email or via a notification on their app to ensure that consumers don’t miss their discount deadline.
Organize a 100% winning game to give away discount coupons
However, to achieve these results the company must identify effective levers for distributing its coupons. It can rely on its application or loyalty program to achieve average basket increase objectives. Gamification and competitions will be effective in attracting and converting new prospects.
Marketing games, broadcast on social networks or in the form of pop-ups on your online/in-app store, are excellent levers for spreading an e-couponing campaign. This is particularly true for instant wins, which enable participants to find out whether or not they’ve won a gift (and the nature of the reward).
As part of a web couponing strategy, the brand can even opt for a 100% winning competition. As the name suggests, this mechanism promises all participants the chance to win a prize. The prospect will be able to launch a wheel of fortune or play the one-armed bandit and find out how much your discount will be (-30, 40 or 50%, for example).
Showroomprive & Rituals example
Showroomprivé’s strategy for boosting engagement and sales of the Ritual brand on its app. In this in-app game, participants were invited, through a Flip&Win, to choose their favorite product. After clicking on it, they automatically received a voucher to be used on any order over 45 euros.
In addition to boosting the conversion rate of its campaign and increasing the average shopping basket, this 100% winning game was also an excellent way of collecting customer preference and promoting products.
Conclusion
Launch a 100% winning game with instant win contests to boost your e-couponing strategy and achieve the results your brand has set itself (conversion, loyalty, customer knowledge, etc.). Easily organize your own instant win campaign thanks to our interactive mechanics!
