Last updated Tue Oct 15 2024
20 Discount Code Ideas to Get More Deals [+Examples]
Fact—
Discount codes and coupons make people happy.
Customers feel smarter, happier, and more satisfied when they use discount codes. No wonder, right? Everybody likes saving money.
For you as a business owner, coupons and discounts are also pretty great: they drive sales, conversions, and customer loyalty. If you’d like some discount code ideas to achieve these goals, this post is exactly what you need.
Jump to sections:
Boost sales with discounts. Includes revenue tracking, Shopify codes, and AI product recommendations
Engage your visitors with personalized popups that achieve conversion rates of up to 25%
Original study of 500 stores: The State of Visitor Engagement on Shopify
How many Shopify businesses use discounts
The most popular discount sizes they use
How they share discounts and coupons
Do coupons and discounts help sell?
To cut a long story short—
Yes, they do.
Here’s evidence from fresh surveys and reports to back it up 👇
There’s a great deal of discount and coupon code ideas to try. In the next section, take a look at the most popular ones.
One discount code for an extra 10% off generates £50,000 sales for an underwear business:
Find out how this Shopify store got 17% of monthly sales in six hours thanks to a clever discount promo:
See how this yarn retailer drove 748 shoppers to limited-time deals from the homepage in three days:
Discount code ideas
1. First order offer
The name says it all: this discount code is offered to website visitors who have not bought from you yet. This idea can get you new customers by helping to convert first-time visitors. You can offer these coupon codes to build your email list and improve customer acquisition.
Examples of discount codes for first orders:
WELCOME10
NEW15
HELLO5
FIRSTBUY20
STARTSHOPPING20
Tips:
Experiment with different discount sizes
Add extra perks to your offer to motivate visitors to buy
Use website popups to share discount codes (you can also create unique Shopify discount codes inside popup apps)
Example:
Here’s a first-order discount code offer in a welcome popup from Blume that converts 5% of visitors:
Make a popup to share discount codes with new visitors on autopilot:
Steps: How to create a welcome popup
Free trial for 14 days with all premium features included. No cc needed. See who uses Wisepops.
"A brilliant dashboard that helps you create any popup you want within an hour or even less, it took me 15 min once I knew the offer that I wanted to show."
Wisepops review from Capterra
2. Weekly deal
This discount or coupon code is valid only for one week. This idea will help you get a boost in orders, specifically when sales are slow. You can allow customers to use the code for a specific product category, chosen products, or during a special holiday week.
Examples of such codes:
WEEKLY20
BONUS10
WEEKLYFLASH30
THISWEEK30
WEEKLYDEAL15
Tip:
Send multiple emails throughout the week to notify customers about your offer. For example, you can announce the deal on Monday, send a reminder on Wednesday, and then make the last call on Sunday.
Example:
Foot Locker shares a 20% discount code for Freshers Week 2022 with a code UNiDAYS:
Read our new guide: How to promote products (including discount and coupon codes with examples)
3. “Deal of the hour”
This one’s pretty simple: you offer a great deal for one hour only. The deals can include gifts, VIP discounts, and, of course, coupon codes. Online businesses often use this discount code idea in Black Friday marketing strategies.
Tip:
Use this coupon code idea to get more sales on holidays. You can create special promotions for each hour to create both anticipation and a sense of urgency. Make sure to let your customers know about the upcoming discounts, of course.
Example:
This hourly promotion offers a discount for a specific product category.
4. Flash sale offer
“Flash sale! Limited time only!” Wouldn’t a message like this attract attention and motivate impulse buying? Definitely! Sales promotions like that are incredibly effective: Americans spend about $2.5 billion a year on them. So, consider trying this coupon code idea to generate leads and get quick sales.
Tip:
Have extra information like customer reviews on products you offer. They will help customers feel more confident making that very fast decision to buy
Use our in-depth guide to flash sales with examples, ideas and ecommerce case studies to be in the best position to achieve your goals
Example:
TOMS Shoes often holds flash sales. The company notifies customers with emails like this one—as you can see, the code FLASH30 is easy to remember:
💡 Interesting fact
TOMS is also a company with a large philanthropic component that shines in their marketing.
Learn more: Examples of Ethics in Marketing
5. Exit-intent discount offer
This discount code idea gives you a chance to convert visitors who are about to leave your website. You present the code with an exit popup, so every visitor will see the deal. The goal is to convince the visitor to reconsider and buy something.
Tip:
Keep your offer short and sweet. Since the visitors want to leave, our goal is to get our message across as quickly as possible
Use a popup tool like Wisepops to create exit popups for your website
Example:
This exit popup from Fashion Nova has a clear message: if you buy, you’ll get 10% off. The large font quickly draws our attention to the discount.
Get a head start on sharing discount codes with exit popups. Browse our library of designer-made popup templates. Start converting your traffic.
6. Holiday discount
This coupon code idea is a no-brainer. Offer a festive discount on special days to draw more customers to your store and get sales. Besides the holiday season, you can try promotional campaigns on Mother’s Day, Fourth of July, etc.
Tip:
Choose a list of holidays to strategize your campaigns. Here are all major public U.S holidays when consumer interest reaches its peak (spoiler: there are 17 of them).
Example:
Maud’s Coffee and Tea offers this $20 discount code (LABORDAY) on Labor Day for all visitors.
"In three days, it helped generate 42% of our revenue (month to date) with a nice average order value. We also received a lot of positive feedback from our customers. They really enjoyed our egg hunt!”
Elodie Trebuchet, Director of Digital Marketing, Soi Paris
7. Free shipping discount
Removing shipping costs means getting rid of a major demotivator to buy for customers. This technique could help you increase ecommerce sales from both first-time and repeat customers, as they perceive free shipping as a risk-reducing factor in case they have to submit a return.
Tips:
Offer free shipping to first-time customers
Try free shipping for products with high-profit margins
Consider this incentive for items with small dimensions and/or low weight
Example:
This free shipping offer example (FREESHIP150) applies only to orders above $150. Doing so is a good way to increase average order values and potentially boost sales of all items.
8. Product pre-launch offer
Does your business take pre-orders? Or maybe make pre-launch marketing campaigns? If yes, then this discount code idea is perfect for you. You can offer a coupon to those who wish to buy a not-yet manufactured product.
Tip:
Start marketing your products before pre-orders launch
Share email reminders and notifications to keep the momentum going
Use emails and website messages to tease new info and updates
Example:
Asphalte, a clothing brand that takes pre-orders, offers products at a much lower price compared to when they’re available.
See how Asphalte generates leads and collects customer feedback with one campaign:
9. Newsletter signup offer
That’s probably the most common discount code idea. You offer a discount in exchange for visitors’ emails, which helps you build a customer base.
Tip:
List all the benefits for customers to motivate them to sign up. The more perks you offer, the more conversions you’ll get. Like in the signup form example below, the brand also mentions news, offers, and exclusive events.
Example:
This campaign from Emma Bridgewater promises 15% off for signing up for the brand’s newsletter with a unique code WSFEB22-7p5kkx:
💡 Convert more first-time visitors
Death Wish Coffee converts visitors with a sticky tab that shows a newsletter signup with a discount.
To create this campaign:
- Create a popup design
- Add a clickable tab
- Activate the campaign!
10. Product-specific discount
This coupon code is applied to the price of a specific product. Customers often look for such promotions when trying to stock up on items that need regular replenishment. Offering this deal can improve ROI and personalize your offers.
Tip:
Try this discount code idea to speed up sales of a specific item
Example of this coupon code:
Backstory Coffee Roasters offers a SUMMERBREAK25 coupon code to get a discount for a special “Summer Break” blend of coffee.
11. Product bundling discount code
This discount code idea is about combining the same or go-together items. Clothing brands use this strategy often to sell entire looks (pants + sweaters + belts, you get the idea). You can also discount bundles of one product—works perfectly for replenishable items.
Tip:
Know the profit margin of each product in the bundle to define the best price. Once you know that number, choose a discount that works for you (a rule of thumb says that margins of less than 50% call for a discount of no more than 10%)
Example:
Death Wish Coffee gives away a 20% discount code to increase the sales of coffee bundles.
Learn how an online clothing store increased the average order value thanks to a product bundling discount code:
12. Minimum purchase discount
Want to increase the average order size? Try this coupon code idea: “a discount for buying an amount higher than $X.” It’s a great technique for sellers who’d like to draw customers’ attention toward certain products while increasing sales.
Tip:
Try this discount code idea for replenishable products to motivate customers to buy before the deal expires
Example:
Here’s how Valerie Confections promotes this discount campaign in an email.
13. “Buy one, get one free” (BOGO) deal
BOGO creates a sense of urgency, “pushing” customers to buy with the promise of a free product. Online businesses often use this discount code idea to move overstock inventory and sell edible or bulk products.
Tip:
Make sure that your BOGO promotion is easy to access with a reasonable price for the two priced items
Example:
Fashion Nova uses BOGO discounts to move inventory at the end of the summer season.
14. Customer referral promo code
Over 90% of customers are likely to buy a product recommended by friends or family. That’s why this discount code idea is great for both building a customer base and selling more.
Tip:
Use a customer referral app to automatically generate and track every discount code. This way, you can monitor your referral sales and manage codes in one place (the entire referral process will be automated)
Example:
PRESS Foods offers 20% off for both the referrer and their friend.
15. Abandoned shopping cart offer
This idea here is to send a coupon code to convince customers to finish their purchase. It’s a really popular strategy to recover sales since unexpected costs are the top reason why customers leave without buying.
Tip:
Use a time-limited coupon code. Knowing that the deal expires in, say, 24 hours, will create a sense of urgency to complete the purchase
Example:
Chubbies, one of the top Shopify stores, recovers abandoned carts with email campaigns containing discount codes that expire in 24 hours.
Related:
Guide to time-limited offers (includes examples and expert tips for ecommerce stores)
Cart abandonment popup (examples of how businesses recover carts with popups)
16. Loyalty-based discount codes
This discount code idea is about celebrating your loyal customers. Consider giving them discounts at certain milestones (such as a certain amount of purchases) to show your appreciation and drive loyalty.
Tip:
For every $1 your customers spend, make sure they earn points towards a discount size on their next purchase. This strategy will make them feel like they’re getting the best deals
Example:
Steve Madden’s loyalty program SM Pass includes giving a 20% discount for the first purchase for new participants.
Want to know how successful loyalty programs work?
17. Code for purchasing in store
Selling both online and offline? Then this coupon code idea is for you. You can send an email with a coupon code that can be redeemed only in your brick-and-mortar store. This technique can motivate customers to pay you a visit.
Tip:
Use this coupon code idea to create a local base of loyal customers. Let’s be honest, creating a great first impression would be way easier in person.
Example:
Saugatuck Brewing Company gives a 10% discount code for beer in the email. The customers can use the coupon only at their brewery, the address of which is also given.
18. Coupon for shopping in a mobile app
This discount code idea is about encouraging customers to make purchases in a mobile app. So if you want your brand’s app to become one more major source of orders, consider encouraging customers to use it this way.
Tip:
Consider giving extra incentives to encourage customers to download your app
Example:
NET-A-PORTER encourages shoppers to buy through the official app by giving a 15% off coupon code.
19. Birthday discount
Offer customers a special discount on their birthday to make them feel appreciated and valued. This personalized approach not only fosters loyalty but also encourages customers to treat themselves or loved ones on their special day.
Tip:
Collect customers' birthdays through loyalty programs, website popup forms, and emails
Example:
Consider simple codes like "HAPPYBDAY" or "BIRTHDAYGIFT" to promote this coupon idea. But it's not uncommon to see complicated ones as the code below:
20. Feedback survey discount
This discount code ideas is about engaging your customers and gain valuable insights in exchange for completing a survey.
Tip:
Integrate the survey link in follow-up emails post-purchase or via survey pop-ups on your website
Example:
Use discount codes like "FEEDBACK20" (for 20% off) or "SURVEYTHANKS."
Here's one way to encourage customers to participate in the survey:
What’s next?
If you’d like to learn more about growing your business with other strategies, take a look at these guides:
Have some discount or coupon code ideas or suggestions? Need more tips? Just write a comment below, I’d be happy to help 🙌
Oleksii Kovalenko
Oleksii Kovalenko is a digital marketing expert and a writer with a degree in international marketing. He has seven years of experience helping ecommerce store owners promote their businesses by writing detailed, in-depth guides.
Education:
Master's in International Marketing, Academy of Municipal Administration