Thursday, April 21, 2011

Coupon Generator




Coupons are great for business, whether it's an online ecommerce store or off. Customers are always on the lookout for discounts and store owners are always looking to boost sales. Big and small e-commerce sites alike are using this wonderful promotional tool to please their customers and improve their bottom line at the same time.

The one main difference between an online coupon and your ordinary in-store coupon is that the actual coupon does not exist. Ecommerce businesses that provide coupons basically use a string of letters, numbers or both called a coupon code, discount code or promotional code. The customer can add all the items they want to purchase into the shopping cart and the discount code can be applied during the checkout process. The discount is then automatically deducted from the total.

There are a number of advantages when you offer coupons to your customers. Not only are you able to get people who know nothing about your site to visit, there is also a big chance that they will make a purchase. This not only generates more traffic to your website, but also converts that traffic into more sales. Coupons can also be used to thank or reward your existing customers and keep them interested in your products. Create customer loyalty by giving them a great deal and they could turn into your biggest proponents.

There are a list of features that are necessary for an ecommerce solution to have in order for you to easily offer coupons from your online store. Here are some key features that should be included:   
  • Set up start date for coupons
  • Set up expiration date for coupons
  • Set discount by percentage of sales total or based on specific products
  • Set up discount based on dollar amount of sales total or for specific products
  • Require a subtotal amount in order to accept coupon
  • Designate specific number of times a coupon is allowed to be used
  • Assign coupons to specific products, vendors or categories
  • Determine coupon use for distinct customer groups
Effective coupon promotional strategies are necessary to get the most out of this amazing tool. One of the simplest ways to get the word out about your online store's promotional discount is to submit your coupon code to all of the top coupon directories on the web. Some offer free services and others ask for monthly subscription fees. Try to also keep your customers' interests in mind. What other websites might they frequent that can possibly be related to your products? Once you have figured this out, you can become an active participant in forums, blogs and social media groups on those topics. Whatever you do, don't spam, everybody hates spammers. Try to be interesting and helpful instead and offer coupons or announce special promotions after trust has been built.





E-commerce sites that offer a coupon generator feature will typically generate a good amount of sales revenue especially when business is slow. You must have a seamless system to generate coupons online that automatically deducts discounts in your checkout. Most importantly you need the right e-commerce solution to provide this tool. As long as you can generate and accept coupon codes, the possibilities are endless for using it to promote your business.

What you need is a full service all-in-one hosting, design, and marketing software made specifically for e-commerce businesses. One that lets you set up your store in minutes, and provides powerful tools to help with not only offering online coupons, but also SEO, product marketing and mobile commerce. Check out the best possible e-commerce solutions available at http://www.makeanonlinestore.com and try them out yourself absolutely free, no credit card required!