Remember our online shopper at the beginning of this report? When she got to the web page to finalize her order, she remembered a coupon code that would give her free shipping on her order. Online retailers provide these codes to their customers as a form of advertising. They know that a good coupon code will bring the following three types of traffic to their site.

• New customer traffic – consumers who may not have ever shopped with them before.

• Previous customer traffic – consumers that came back to shop again because of the coupon code discount.

• Repeat business traffic – consumers who are so pleased with the items they purchased at a discount that they come back to purchase other items, possibly at full price. This is considered the best type of traffic.

Coupon codes are a win-win promotion both for the shopper and the retailer who offers them. You get a good deal, and the retailer gets an increase in traffic. Unlike coupons that you cut out of the newspaper or magazines, online coupon codes can’t be lost or replaced. You can use the code once, then pass it along to a friend or family member so that they can get a good online deal, too.ADVERTISEMENTS

Many a convert to online shopping has been made with the sharing of just one good coupon code!