Savvy online shoppers have long known that there are bargains to be had if they shop around and – often – even better ones if they make good use of the discount codes big brands issue to new customers via money advice sites.
Pay-TV giant Sky recently offered a whopping 50% off of a whole year’s subscription – including their top packages – to anyone lucky enough to have grabbed a magic money saving voucher and not already a customer.
Demand for these limited availability codes was so high that they were all claimed within a few hours of the offer going live.
Given that the cost of servicing the new customers would be highly marginal, the firm in question will have added nicely to its profits, despite selling its channel bundles for around £30 a month less than is usual.
In doing so it’s also likely to have pulled in a decent number of customers who might otherwise have been tempted by lower prices available from some competitors.
Many retailers also offer coupons through the money saving sites, with the most popular often being those which can be ‘stacked’ on top of existing price cuts and promotions to maximise your savings.
Last month Amazon rewarded shoppers with 20% off of fashion brands, including French Connection, New Look, and Ted Baker, just for entering a promotional code during the check out process.
So keenly sought after are these wallet-friendly vouchers that an entire array of online communities and forums have emerged, with members and contributors sharing tips on any deals they’ve spotted.
Though, given their status as keen bargain hunters, presumably only after they’ve already bagged the offer for themselves. Generosity and sharing have their limits!
Thanks to their popularity, getting a mention on one of the groups will bless any website owner with a welcome surge in traffic and, if they’re lucky, some additional regular readers.
A few years back one of our sister sites ran a ‘first come, first served’ competition for discount codes entitling the fast movers to a generous discount on digital magazine subscriptions.
After the offer was linked two from just two deal hunting forums, site traffic soared by 400% and long after all the codes were claimed the page was still receiving vast numbers of visitors.
What many people might be surprised to learn is that, with a bit of looking around, you can also pick up discount codes for online bingo and casino sites which bring a range of benefits.
Some, like this promo code for the 888casino, match a new customer’s initial stake money with a 100% bonus, doubling the amount you can play with.
Such deals can be seen as free-plays which help newcomers learn how the various games work without risking their own money. This can help eliminate a big barrier for newcomers to take up online gaming and turn a curious newbie into a regular punter.
Clearly the benefits to shoppers differ between each promotion but, despite spanning very different markets and sectors, the retailers running them all benefit the same way – they help lure in new users and shoppers who might otherwise not have parted with their cash or, worse, given their money to your rival.
They are in may ways the online version of the big, lurid, in you face, posters which used to beckon shoppers off of the high street and into stores before the web made it possible shop without leaving home.
And with several outlets often offering identical or similar products, often they’ll be the deciding factor in where the customer decides to spend.
Image: Aleksandra Gigowska / Shutterstock
