There is a growing sentiment that all business has moved online. It is not an empty sentiment. For virtually all products are on sale online, and by all indications, this is not a trend that is likely to abate any time soon.

Now one trend that everyone who shops widely over the Internet will have noted is the one where an ever-increasing number of online vendors are giving out shopping voucher codes to their visitors. These shopping voucher codes are quite unlike discount voucher codes, which are given to people who are already buyers, offering them discounts on their purchases. Rather, the shopping voucher codes are given to the unconverted, typically just for free, so that such people (who at this stage are just detached visitors to the site, window-shoppers if you like) can get to shop at the said site, and get a feel of what the shopping experience there is like. The hope here is that these people will get impressed with the store, and then start shopping with their own money; in essence, becoming new customers of the said store.

The said voucher codes are just letters and/or numbers, which the person who ‘wins’ the voucher can enter at the site, instantly getting credit with which they can then shop for products.

Of course, it is not just stored that are directly selling wares online which are offering shopping voucher codes. Other types of sites are offering their visitor’s such codes, as some sort of reward scheme for their visits. This is where rather than give their loyal visitors cash payment for their loyalty (which does seem creepy), the said online vendors, who themselves don’t sell stuff, give their visitors shopping voucher codes to other sites where stuff is actually sold, so that the visitors can then ‘redeem’ the points at those other sites for various goodies; as a reward for their loyalty. There are also raffle sites, where some of the most prizes to be won are usually shopping takeaway voucher codes – which is really an idea borrowed from the traditional raffles, where shopping vouchers were a common prize won.

The popularity of shopping voucher codes in all these instances can be attributed to a number of factors.

One reason that these webmasters love to give out the voucher-code is that the codes offer a convenient way of achieving their strategic goals. Giving people cash for some things feels creepy. Yet the people giving the vouchers don’t want to choose gifts for the people they want to reward; for they don’t know what it is that makes them tick. So the best compromise, between giving them cash (which seems creepy), and choosing for them gifts they may not love lies in the shopping voucher codes.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *