As a way to gain more customers and interest in their products, online stores will often offer coupon codes or promotional codes. These codes can be found directly on the company’s website or sometimes, one must actively search the Internet to discover these deals. In any case, actively using coupon codes is a great way to save money on expensive purchase orders and find new products that may be of interest.
Not all merchants will employ the use of promotional codes. Quite a few email select customers linked coupons or products that can only be redeemed by following the link. These discounts are usually applied automatically when the link is clicked, and the product is in the shopping cart.
How To Redeem A Coupon Code
There are numerous ways that a coupon can be redeemed, and often, it greatly depends on the merchant. Some merchants display their redemption box in the shopping cart section of their website. These are the easiest to use, and they allow shoppers to see their subtotals with little hassle.
Not all merchants employ the use of discount boxes directly inside of their shopping cart feature. Many will wait until shoppers reach the checkout phase and before confirming the payment, the code can be entered on the page. It can be a bit trickier to use these on such websites as the redemption boxes can be easily missed. It’s important to look at all web forms carefully to ensure that the redemption box isn’t lost before clicking ‘submit.’
The Case Of Missing Coupon Code Boxes
All merchants are different, and sometimes, shoppers have a hard time finding the redemption box. If this is the case with a particular merchant, it’s important to refer to their FAQ or frequently asked questions page. The FAQ page is a great source of quick information, but in the off chance that it didn’t yield any results, it may be worth it to check the customer service page. For example with My Freedom Smokes you would see their contact page.
As a last resort, shoppers should call the merchant and ask how to use one. Some online businesses that are just starting out or don’t have savvy programming skills may not have the proper web forms to incorporate the use of coupons.
Checking The Effectiveness Of Discounts
It’s important that shoppers don’t place orders without confirming whether or not a coupon code has been correctly applied. Usually, the easiest way to see if a coupon code is working is to check the subtotals before completing checkout. Most merchants allow shoppers to use the coupon code and see directly how much they’re going to be charged for the order. The numbers should always be accurate as clicking ‘submit’ without an applied coupon code can result in some problems.
They Aren’t Always Working
Shoppers are at the mercy of merchants when it comes to using coupon codes. That means that merchants reserve the right to cancel or change the terms in which a coupon code can be utilized. Most deals come with expiration dates, and some merchants place a cap on the number of times a coupon code can be redeemed. This is always done as a way to monitor the amount of shoppers redeeming a coupon code, and if there’s too high of a demand for them, merchants cancel them.
It’s hard to ensure that a coupon code is always working, and in the off chance that one isn’t, it’s relatively easy to search for other promotional codes online. Some shoppers go as far as contacting customer support to complain, but this won’t reactivate an expired code.
Understanding The Terms And Conditions
All promotional codes come with strings attached, and they vary by merchants. The one thing that many codes have in common is that more than one can’t be used for one purchase. Additionally, there can be some other restrictions on coupons such as an expiration date and item restrictions. Some online businesses may take it further by stating that the coupon code can only be used on a certain amount of the purchase and shipping charges may be excluded.
Using Online Codes Offline
Many shoppers wrongfully assume that merchants that sell online and offline will honor their discounts in a brick and mortar location. Most businesses tend to separate their online and offline presence, and the sales that are hosted through their websites are rarely carried over to their physical locations. This is often attributed to the rising costs of keeping a brick and mortar store open.
Merchants are reasonable and care about their shoppers. Therefore, it’s easy to get in touch with them should any questions about promotional codes arise. However, it’s important to take into consideration that online stores aren’t obligated to honor coupon codes in any way.