Shopping online with coupon codes can save bargain hunters a bundle for many
online purchases from office supplies, jewelry, flowers to baby products. Do you
know how online coupons work? Understand some of the basics will save bargain
hunters time and money.
Coupon sites are different than merchants.
Merchants are the actual online stores that shoppers shop at. Merchants provide
coupon codes to coupon sites so that coupon sites can offer coupons to shoppers who
might not otherwise discover the merchant. But if you are a savvy shopper, who
already knows which merchant you want to purchase a product from, you can visit a
coupon website, find your merchant via “shop by store” to use a coupon for your
purchase.
Where to find coupons?
If you have a specific merchant in mind, use search engines such as Google, Msn or
Yahoo to search coupon sites which list merchant’s coupons (e.g., Diamond.com
Coupons). Once you find the coupon website you like, bookmark them or sign up
their coupon alerts.
Coupons typically function as either a “hyperlink discount” or “coupon code to
enter.”
Merchants decide how they want to offer their coupons and coupon websites
simply follow the instructions of the merchants.
To activate a hyperlink discount, shoppers need to click on hyperlinks such as “Click
on this link to redeem the coupon code.” Shoppers are then directed to the merchant
website where the discount offers will automatically apply at checkout.
ShopNBC.com at CouponB.com (http://www.couponb.com/ShopNBC.htm) has an
example of a hyperlink discount.
Other merchants may require customers to enter coupon codes when they check out.
After shoppers click on the hyperlink from coupon sites, shoppers need to remember
the promotion code. Designer Linens Outlet at CouponB.com
(http://www.couponb.com/Designer-Linens-Outlet.htm) has an example. Shoppers
from CouponB.com need to enter BELLA at check out to get $20 off $129 at Designer
Linens Outlet.
Find the place to “enter coupon code”.
If the discount is not automatically applied, shoppers will need to find the right place
to “enter coupon code.” Merchants locate this “enter coupon code” box for coupon
code, promo code, discount code or whatever the merchant decides to call it in
different places in their check out process.
Sometimes merchants locate the “enter coupon code” in a logical place such as the
shopping cart where you can easily check if the discount is applied, but at other times
it is hard to find, such as the order review page prior to confirming your purchase.
Shoppers should always carefully confirm that the discount shoppers expect is
properly applied.
Why coupons sometimes don’t work?
Coupon codes may not work because the code could be expired or entered
incorrectly. At other times, the Merchant may exclude certain products or may require
minimum purchases. Some coupon codes are case sensitive.
Sometimes the coupon website is unaware that the coupon has expired, sometimes
they make human errors, and sometimes the merchants change or expire coupon
codes without telling the coupon websites. In any case, remember that coupon
websites are providing their services to shoppers for free, so help them out by nicely
emailing them and telling them that a certain coupon code doesn’t work. Sometimes
the coupon website can help you find a working coupon code, but at other times, the
merchant may not be offering any coupon codes on the product you are interested in
purchasing.
When you find a coupon code for a merchant, think of it as a bonus to save a few
bucks or to splurge and spend a bit more on something else for yourself.
About Author:
Coupon Bella at CouponB.com
http://www.couponb.com/ features coupons from more than 300 merchants from jewelry, flowers, and office supplies to baby products. CouponB.com also maintains a blog at
http://couponbella.blogspot.com where she features deals of the week and product reviews.