Creating your coupon and discount design

Although design is subjective, we can all agree that text-heavy coupons are annoying. They look fake and dubious too. But, if you have an attention-grabbing layout, now that’s another story.

A well-designed coupon should convey on-going promotion even with limited text use. It should also reflect the brand image at the same time. There’s no reason why you should still be using a simple black and white text coupon. Even without experience, you can create yours in Canva. They have hundreds of free and premium templates available. You can configure them to match your brand style or start from scratch. If you are not happy with your creation, you can seek help from a professional graphic designer.

Set an expiration date

There is a reason why coupons and discount codes have an expiration. It is because it creates a sense of urgency for a buyer to take action. Even though it is not his intention to buy something.

If you have codes without an end date, then you are sending the wrong signal. Customers will choose to postpone coupon use until the need arises. It also has an impact on your bottom end since expiration can safeguard revenue.

Creating a coupon or discount can vary from ecommerce platform to another. In Shopify, go to Discounts>Create Discount and enter discount code name. Then, you can input either monetary or percentage value. The next step is choosing items included in the promo. You can also set the customer eligibility section and usage limits. If you scroll down further, you will have the Active dates section. Input the start date and end date. When you are happy with the settings, click the save discount button.One pro tip is making the code unique, so you can run different campaigns at the same time. It also helps ease tracking difficulties.

Get to the point

In step 1, we told you about the importance of having a great design. It is also essential to have the text short and simple. A good rule of thumb is to only include the amount or percentage and duration of the sale. For promotion rules, keep it simple. If applicable, mention select items only, minimum spend and maximum discount. There’s no need to include specific product names in the design. Don’t forget to include a call to action text, though. It should be tempting enough for consumers to click and use your promotion. You can say, “Claim Your deal” or “Save Now.”

Coupon and discount deal campaigns ideas

There’s a misconception that we should only launch coupons during the holiday season. But that’s not the truth. What’s excellent about coupons and discount promotions is you can have it anytime. Here are some ideas to help you:

• Product-specific deals

  When you want to upsell and cross-sell, use product-specific campaigns. Also, if you have new items or old stocks. You can set a $20 off coupon code if a buyer orders at least three items. If he orders only two, you can recommend one or more items to get the discount. Another idea is to offer a 5%-10% discount to first-time members. You can even provide an extra $5 coupon if he orders again or leaves a review. Make sure to add a required minimum spend to entice customers to add more items in their carts.

• Birthday and Anniversary

  You can make the promotion personalized for your audience too. You can offer an exclusive discount on their birthday. Another option is to send a unique code to celebrate his first purchase. Make sure to set rules, especially with this kind of promotion. You should limit the number of uses, set an end date, and have a unique code. This is also an excellent opportunity to upsell other items.

• Social media promotion

  Coupons are not only for selling items in your store. You can also use it to promote your social media accounts. For instance, you have a $5 coupon code. Customers can get the deal if they share promotions in their social media profiles.

• Support issues

  When there is a complaint, you can offer exclusive coupons to the customer. This way, you can make the customer happy and make a sale at the same time.

• Special holidays and sale events

  Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the significant electronic events every year. You can join the massive sale too, even if you are not a tech-store. Make sure to mark these events in your calendar, so you don’t miss out on getting more sales.

• Cart abandonment

  Are you struggling to win back cart abandoners? Offer an attractive deal in the cart abandonment email. You can provide more freebies and even free shipping. If the buyer didn’t use the coupon, you send a follow-up email after three days. Offer more significant savings with limited time and use. Don’t forget to include items that you want to upsell.

Running a targeted promotion

Now that you have several ideas about what type of deals you can offer to your customers. Let’s now find out how you can promote it to your audience.  It is true that customers have different interests and purchasing behavior. What works for Karen may not appeal to Janice. So, you need to segment coupon promotions. Like in email marketing, you should aim for a targeted and segmented approach. Check buyer history and other data so you can concoct the perfect strategy to win Karen and Janice’. Generally, you want to have the following segmentation:

• Location
• Age group
• Buying behavior
• Past Purchases
• Interests

Promoting your campaigns

The next step is letting the world know you have an on-going promo. You can use your current marketing tactics to promote coupons and discount deals. You can opt for paid advertisements or include it in your next newsletter. Here are two other alternatives:

• • Submit discount codes to coupon platforms. You can maximize coupon visibility by sharing codes to coupon platforms like RetailMeNot is one of the largest online coupon platforms. Millions of customers view and redeem codes from their website. This means more people can find your shop, check store items, and make a purchase.

• Add a website pop-up. Another smart way is to have a pop-up window in your store. But, make sure that it doesn’t affect and interfere with the whole shopping experience. It should only appear after a certain period. Add the discount codes already so buyers don’t have to search for them.

Whatever approach you choose, don’t forget the value of a plan. Promotions such as discount codes and coupon deals need proper execution for success. Take advantage of other marketing tactics, and don’t be afraid to advertise.