8 ms·

This is a pretty ridiculous complaint. First of all, giving everyone a referral URL works great in a web only world but what if you're advertising on a Podcast

by ebbv 13y ago

This is a pretty ridiculous complaint. First of all, giving everyone a referral URL works great in a web only world but what if you're advertising on a Podcast (or gasp print or radio), is it easier to tell people to type in www.mysite.com/coupon to their browser or is it easier to tell people to enter COUPON at checkout? Secondly, the amount of people who are going to have this adverse reaction to the mere existence of the coupon code field is vanishingly small. Most customers who don't have a code will just ignore it and move on (and actually many who have been told about a code will not even use it) only a small minority will bother searching for a code to enter when they don't have one. Whatever web site had a coupon code field that made you this angry probably had at least 20 much worse UI violations they should prioritize above trying to eliminate the coupon field.

mattdanger 13y ago
I disagree. Coupon code forms make some customers second guess themselves at checkout. The fewer steps required to purchase something result in higher completed orders. See Amazon one-click
- bennyg 13y ago
  I disagree with the main part of your sentiment. I think they're already there after they've filled in billing/shipping info, so seeing the blank coupon code field is actually not a deterrent at that point. It's just as easy to skip that field and press the button for Checkout as it is when that field isn't there. The coupon field just adds the possibility of getting a better deal with some Google searches.
  - cdjk 13y ago
    So you have a customer that's just about to buy your product, and you're sending them away from your site? I mean, as a consumer I like discounts, but as a programmer I really want my customers to just click checkout at that point.
  - kazagistar 13y ago
    AB testing seems to disagree with you. I am more prone to t rust the data.
  - basseq 13y ago
    Speaking personally, I don't think the existence of a coupon field ever makes me abandon a purchase entirely. However, it does affect how I feel about checking out: if I find a coupon code and save some amount of money, I feel good about it; if I can't find one that works, I feel like I'm "missing out" and paying more than I have to.
sarreph 13y ago
Just on your point about Podcasts - you could use a short URL (works in print too)? (edit, e.g. tiny.cc/[shortcode]) Or... if you're feeling really adventurous, use an audio hyperlink ;) http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/08/apple-developing-audio-hyperlinks-a-way-for-audio-streams-to-link-to-other-media-or-control-devices/ http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/08/apple-developing-audio-hype...
- kalleboo 13y ago
  Stamps.com advertise on the radio+podcasts and they added an icon to their front page http://www.stamps.com http://www.stamps.com
Joe-Z 13y ago
I think this is exactly what Steve Krug refers to as a religious debate in "Don't make me think!". The only way to know for sure is user-testing.
narcissus 13y ago
I don't really have a comment one way or another about what you said here, however... comparing UI violations to something that reminds someone that they're not 'one of the cool kids' that knows the 'secret code to saving money' is a bit apples to oranges, I think. One might offend your eyes, the other (can be) more personal.
mikeash 13y ago
I could kind of imagine it in a world where the concept of coupons was invented on the web and e-commerce "coupon code" fields were the only place people encountered it. But of course that's not the world we live in. Our mailboxes get stuffed full of coupons. We get them on our receipts. We get them in our e-mail. We get them in newspapers and magazines and even attached to the very products we're buying. We're all used to the concept. Roughly nobody is getting upset at the idea that there might be some coupon out there that they don't happen to have at the moment.
- uxp 13y ago
  Have you ever gone to the grocer and been stopped by the checker just before you hand them or swipe your credit card to ask if you're sure you don't have any coupons for any of the items in your cart? If you have the checker might have grabbed a copy of the Sunday insert they had sitting there and scanned the $1 off coupon for that one item you happened to pick up but didn't know was actually on sale, or 95% of the time the checker doesn't even bother you about such things. By offering a coupon code box on your checkout page, you're effectively saying "Hey, we might have put a coupon in last Sunday's newspaper, but obviously you aren't special enough to have received it and we aren't going to be nice by offering it to everyone to gain customer loyalty." If you want to do an affiliate-type discount for a single item, do it through URL parameters stored into a cookie and consumed at checkout. If you want to do a Sunday-coupon-type discount for anyone willing to go find a coupon, offer it to everyone: "Do you have any coupons? Our latest promotions can be found at ..." Edit: and if doing a Sunday-type coupon, have the box be conditionally shown. If your current promotion is for 10% off the purchase of a Foo widget, don't show it when the customer only has Bar sprockets in their cart. You're just losing conversion at that point.
- purplelobster 13y ago
  Internet coupons are different from physical coupons. You can potentially find internet coupons by searching the web for 20 minutes, while if you're at the checkout at the grocery store, you're not going to go all the way home, look through the trash to find some coupons that were mailed to you a week prior and promptly thrown out. The difference is the knowledge that there is a coupon for the particular item I'm buying, and the (in)convenience of finding that coupon. I'm convinced that many, many people are "upset" about the idea that they're missing out on coupons. My wife is one of those people, she can't buy anything on the internet without searching her coupon sites first. And I know a lot of people like her. For me, it takes a conscious decision that "this is not worth it, I'll just pay whatever the price is and save the time and energy".
mijustin 13y ago
This PayPal/Comscore study found that 27% of potential buyers abandoned their shopping cart because they had to go look for a coupon code. Another study found that removing the promo code box improved conversion from 3.8% to 5.1% Source: http://ux.stackexchange.com/a/11365 http://ux.stackexchange.com/a/11365 (There's also some good shopping cart / checkout UX tips in there too)
- ja27 13y ago
  I've abandoned a couple purchases because of that coupon code box. I go search for one and realize that they do regular promotions so I wait for one, usually to never come back and make a purchase.
  - nmcfarl 13y ago
    I’ve done the same - though in at least one case I did purchase eventually when I caught the promotion. However that was still reduced and delayed revenue for the vendor over not having the box. And how many times have I completely given up… Lots.
  - ja27 13y ago
    I'd say that a coupon code box runs a distant third behind surprise high shipping rates and sites I've never heard of that don't accept third-party payment sites and instead want my credit card info. Nope.
    - nfriedly 13y ago
      Technically speaking, a credit card is a third-party payment system ;) But, I still get your point. Ridiculous shipping charges has definitely led to me abandoning a cart more often then coupon code boxes. Although, I still prefer it when sites just tell me what the shipping is before I put the item in my cart. Not telling me before I have to fill in anything more than a zip code tends to be a sign of high shipping charges and sometimes leads to me going to a competitors website without even checking what it will cost to ship.
  - 13y ago
coldtea 13y ago
>First of all, giving everyone a referral URL works great in a web only world but what if you're advertising on a Podcast (or gasp print or radio), is it easier to tell people to type in www.mysite.com/coupon to their browser or is it easier to tell people to enter COUPON at checkout? Only lots of the companies that uses this practice never advertise on podcasts or radio. >Secondly, the amount of people who are going to have this adverse reaction to the mere existence of the coupon code field is vanishingly small. Citation needed. >Most customers who don't have a code will just ignore it and move on Of course, since there is nothing else they can do. The issue is if this leaves a bad taste on their mouth or not. >Whatever web site had a coupon code field that made you this angry probably had at least 20 much worse UI violations they should prioritize above trying to eliminate the coupon field. He could not care less about other UI violations compared to feeling a second-rate customer that has to pay more.
cmdkeen 13y ago
Or just don't show the box during period where there is no valid coupon code for any of the selected items? Half the complaint, and associated failed transactions, is around there not even being a currently running coupon campaign anyway. But then why have coupons and just offer money off to everyone?
- yogo 13y ago
  But then why have coupons and just offer money off to everyone? Why would you offer a discount to people when you can make more money by not offering a discount? To me I see the coupon as a reward to the people that know about it. Plus if it's a promotion you are probably increasing the volume and taking away the price comparison for people that like to save. Plus maybe some loyalty knowing those guys always haave coupons. Take GoDaddy for instance. They always have promotions running. If someone just wanted to purchase a domain they would go on there and pay $12 but if they wanted to save money they could drive the price down to as low as $2.49 (in some cases). They are not losing money at that price and will even make more in the long run since they didn't lose you to namecheap and for the rest of the time you own it with them you will be paying $8-10 with the convenience of auto-renew.
  - joelandren 13y ago
    GoDaddy has recently changed their policy and no longer have coupon codes.
  - duskwuff 13y ago
    Cost for most domains is in the $5 - $8 range, actually. GoDaddy is losing money at $2.49, but they're hoping to make it up on addons and renewals.
megablast 13y ago
This complaint comes from the discussion about affiliate marketing on this site yesterday. A large number of affiliates make there money with coupon sites apparently, taking advantage of this exact scenario. People see coupon, then they google for it. If you think this blog post looks familiar, it is.
frogpelt 13y ago
I would argue that remembering and entering a coupon is just as hard as remembering and entering a sub-directory name in a URL. In fact, finding the coupon code box can sometimes be a pain. It's not always on the first page in the ordering process.
bennesvig 13y ago
"This is a pretty ridiculous complaint." People are different. I do what he described every single time I see the coupon code when I wouldn't have thought about searching for one. I would have been happily enjoying my purchase instead to cruising junky ad filled sites looking for a discount. It's simple loss aversion. Instead of people seeing their purchase as a gain, they think about what they're losing by not having a coupon.
- mijustin 13y ago
  That's right: it's about the psychology post-purchase. How does the buyer feel? Do they feel good about their experience, or is there a nagging feeling of having missed out on a deal? This research paper studies those effects: http://www2.owen.vanderbilt.edu/mike.shor/research/promo/jpbm_reprint.pdf http://www2.owen.vanderbilt.edu/mike.shor/research/promo/jpb...
- martin-adams 13y ago
  It's interesting. I sometimes sigh when I see a discount box because I know I'm going to spend the next 10 minutes searching for a code. For me, not having the box would have meant I "knew" I was getting the best deal. Having the box and failing to find a code means I "failed" at getting the best deal, even if there wasn't a better deal to be had. Finding a code sometimes makes me think, "am I allowed to use it?" but of course, I'd try anyway and yes, can be pleased if I get the magical 10-15% off.
  - kibibu 13y ago
    I wonder if your response would be different if the language around the coupon code was different. Instead of just a "Coupon code:" label, something that deterred you from entering one. "Slum it! Enter your poverty code here:"
    - martin-adams 13y ago
      That's got me thinking. I suspect it might. The psychology behind it form me is not to be getting a worse deal than everyone else. If everyone else can enter a discount code, then I should be able to as well. But if the code is targeted at a specific set of customers that I know I don't fall into, then I would probably overlook. Things like: - Student discount - Over 60s discount - Job seekers discount But finding the right label that doesn't offend, and right way to validate the authenticity of the customer's eligibility, is no trivial task.
jusben1369 13y ago
"This is a pretty ridiculous complaint" - No offense, but this is a ridiculous complaint. You totally sidestepped the point of the article - what message are you sending to your full price paying customer? Imagine you're side by side with a guy in two checkout lines and by chance you have the same 6 items. Both of you get rung up and it comes out to $100 on the display. At that point, you reach for your card. The other guy though, reaches over to the cashier and does a wiggly weird handshake. The cashier smiles knowingly, hits a button and boom it says $86. You've got no recourse to complain. The items you picked up were clearly marked and you accepted the total amount. You start to notice how every 5th person does the goofy weird handshake? Feel like shopping there again next time?
- dminor 13y ago
  Imagine you're in a store and the person in front of you pulls out a coupon and gets a discount. But you don't need to imagine it because it happens all the time and you still shop in stores.
  - jusben1369 13y ago
    And you're offered those coupons all the time in newspapers and magazines but decide they're not worth the hassle. Here the first time you even discover coupons is at the checkout
    - ahoyhere 13y ago
      If you first discover that coupons exist at the cashier, you must be an alien going to a store for the first time. You hit the nail on the head with the first part of your comment -- you decided they weren't worth the time, and therefore you don't save the money. You don't huffily dump your items and leave the line. No, you think, "Hm, maybe I should clip coupons next time." (Although, of course, you don't.)
      - jusben1369 13y ago
        "If you first discover that coupons exist at the cashier, you must be an alien going to a store for the first time.' I guess the risk of using an analogy is they eventually break down if you go too crazy on them. I made it a "real world" example to look at the online experience another way so that people could perhaps relate to the original's author pet peeve. I think if the author of this original article felt like he understood how to get a coupon for the site he was on and decided not to anyway he wouldn't have written the article. Subtle but important point here.
kzrdude 13y ago
It's not a complaint, it's advice for online retailers.
skrebbel 13y ago
When I'm rich, I'm going to spam local radio stations with ads that spell out affiliate link URLs.
pessimizer 13y ago
mysite.com/podcast-name-or-one-word-punchline-to-something-funny seems easy enough.
auctiontheory 13y ago
I do not think "ridiculous" means what you think it means. 1) I personally have abandoned checkout carts when I realized they offered big discounts and I didn't have one right then. 2) Alternatively, the coupon code box has very often reminded me to go find a coupon - and pay less than I was already willing to pay. My behavior is normal human behavior. You can debate whether (1) is "logical," but the checkout process should maximize profit from real human beings, not theoretically logical ones.
GoNB 13y ago
It's your complaint that is ridiculous. The checkout page should have the lowest friction possible. Coupon boxes make people hunt for them. Anytime a customer leaves your store there's a chance they may not come back. This applies to physical stores too. > is it easier to tell people to type in www.mysite.com/coupon to their browser or is it easier to tell people to enter COUPON at checkout? I hear URLs spelled out in radio ads all the time. If this were 1996 you might have a valid point, but not in 2013.

by ebbv 13y ago

mattdanger 13y ago

I disagree. Coupon code forms make some customers second guess themselves at checkout. The fewer steps required to purchase something result in higher completed orders. See Amazon one-click

bennyg 13y ago
I disagree with the main part of your sentiment. I think they're already there after they've filled in billing/shipping info, so seeing the blank coupon code field is actually not a deterrent at that point. It's just as easy to skip that field and press the button for Checkout as it is when that field isn't there. The coupon field just adds the possibility of getting a better deal with some Google searches.
- cdjk 13y ago
  So you have a customer that's just about to buy your product, and you're sending them away from your site? I mean, as a consumer I like discounts, but as a programmer I really want my customers to just click checkout at that point.
- kazagistar 13y ago
  AB testing seems to disagree with you. I am more prone to t rust the data.
- basseq 13y ago
  Speaking personally, I don't think the existence of a coupon field ever makes me abandon a purchase entirely. However, it does affect how I feel about checking out: if I find a coupon code and save some amount of money, I feel good about it; if I can't find one that works, I feel like I'm "missing out" and paying more than I have to.

sarreph 13y ago

Just on your point about Podcasts - you could use a short URL (works in print too)? (edit, e.g. tiny.cc/[shortcode]) Or... if you're feeling really adventurous, use an audio hyperlink ;) http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/08/apple-developing-audio-hyperlinks-a-way-for-audio-streams-to-link-to-other-media-or-control-devices/ http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/08/apple-developing-audio-hype...

kalleboo 13y ago
Stamps.com advertise on the radio+podcasts and they added an icon to their front page http://www.stamps.com http://www.stamps.com

Joe-Z 13y ago

I think this is exactly what Steve Krug refers to as a religious debate in "Don't make me think!". The only way to know for sure is user-testing.

narcissus 13y ago

I don't really have a comment one way or another about what you said here, however... comparing UI violations to something that reminds someone that they're not 'one of the cool kids' that knows the 'secret code to saving money' is a bit apples to oranges, I think. One might offend your eyes, the other (can be) more personal.

mikeash 13y ago

I could kind of imagine it in a world where the concept of coupons was invented on the web and e-commerce "coupon code" fields were the only place people encountered it. But of course that's not the world we live in. Our mailboxes get stuffed full of coupons. We get them on our receipts. We get them in our e-mail. We get them in newspapers and magazines and even attached to the very products we're buying. We're all used to the concept. Roughly nobody is getting upset at the idea that there might be some coupon out there that they don't happen to have at the moment.

uxp 13y ago
Have you ever gone to the grocer and been stopped by the checker just before you hand them or swipe your credit card to ask if you're sure you don't have any coupons for any of the items in your cart? If you have the checker might have grabbed a copy of the Sunday insert they had sitting there and scanned the $1 off coupon for that one item you happened to pick up but didn't know was actually on sale, or 95% of the time the checker doesn't even bother you about such things. By offering a coupon code box on your checkout page, you're effectively saying "Hey, we might have put a coupon in last Sunday's newspaper, but obviously you aren't special enough to have received it and we aren't going to be nice by offering it to everyone to gain customer loyalty." If you want to do an affiliate-type discount for a single item, do it through URL parameters stored into a cookie and consumed at checkout. If you want to do a Sunday-coupon-type discount for anyone willing to go find a coupon, offer it to everyone: "Do you have any coupons? Our latest promotions can be found at ..." Edit: and if doing a Sunday-type coupon, have the box be conditionally shown. If your current promotion is for 10% off the purchase of a Foo widget, don't show it when the customer only has Bar sprockets in their cart. You're just losing conversion at that point.
purplelobster 13y ago
Internet coupons are different from physical coupons. You can potentially find internet coupons by searching the web for 20 minutes, while if you're at the checkout at the grocery store, you're not going to go all the way home, look through the trash to find some coupons that were mailed to you a week prior and promptly thrown out. The difference is the knowledge that there is a coupon for the particular item I'm buying, and the (in)convenience of finding that coupon. I'm convinced that many, many people are "upset" about the idea that they're missing out on coupons. My wife is one of those people, she can't buy anything on the internet without searching her coupon sites first. And I know a lot of people like her. For me, it takes a conscious decision that "this is not worth it, I'll just pay whatever the price is and save the time and energy".

mijustin 13y ago

This PayPal/Comscore study found that 27% of potential buyers abandoned their shopping cart because they had to go look for a coupon code. Another study found that removing the promo code box improved conversion from 3.8% to 5.1% Source: http://ux.stackexchange.com/a/11365 http://ux.stackexchange.com/a/11365 (There's also some good shopping cart / checkout UX tips in there too)

ja27 13y ago
I've abandoned a couple purchases because of that coupon code box. I go search for one and realize that they do regular promotions so I wait for one, usually to never come back and make a purchase.
- nmcfarl 13y ago
  I’ve done the same - though in at least one case I did purchase eventually when I caught the promotion. However that was still reduced and delayed revenue for the vendor over not having the box. And how many times have I completely given up… Lots.
- ja27 13y ago
  I'd say that a coupon code box runs a distant third behind surprise high shipping rates and sites I've never heard of that don't accept third-party payment sites and instead want my credit card info. Nope.
  - nfriedly 13y ago
    Technically speaking, a credit card is a third-party payment system ;) But, I still get your point. Ridiculous shipping charges has definitely led to me abandoning a cart more often then coupon code boxes. Although, I still prefer it when sites just tell me what the shipping is before I put the item in my cart. Not telling me before I have to fill in anything more than a zip code tends to be a sign of high shipping charges and sometimes leads to me going to a competitors website without even checking what it will cost to ship.
- 13y ago

coldtea 13y ago

>First of all, giving everyone a referral URL works great in a web only world but what if you're advertising on a Podcast (or gasp print or radio), is it easier to tell people to type in www.mysite.com/coupon to their browser or is it easier to tell people to enter COUPON at checkout? Only lots of the companies that uses this practice never advertise on podcasts or radio. >Secondly, the amount of people who are going to have this adverse reaction to the mere existence of the coupon code field is vanishingly small. Citation needed. >Most customers who don't have a code will just ignore it and move on Of course, since there is nothing else they can do. The issue is if this leaves a bad taste on their mouth or not. >Whatever web site had a coupon code field that made you this angry probably had at least 20 much worse UI violations they should prioritize above trying to eliminate the coupon field. He could not care less about other UI violations compared to feeling a second-rate customer that has to pay more.

cmdkeen 13y ago

Or just don't show the box during period where there is no valid coupon code for any of the selected items? Half the complaint, and associated failed transactions, is around there not even being a currently running coupon campaign anyway. But then why have coupons and just offer money off to everyone?

yogo 13y ago
But then why have coupons and just offer money off to everyone? Why would you offer a discount to people when you can make more money by not offering a discount? To me I see the coupon as a reward to the people that know about it. Plus if it's a promotion you are probably increasing the volume and taking away the price comparison for people that like to save. Plus maybe some loyalty knowing those guys always haave coupons. Take GoDaddy for instance. They always have promotions running. If someone just wanted to purchase a domain they would go on there and pay $12 but if they wanted to save money they could drive the price down to as low as $2.49 (in some cases). They are not losing money at that price and will even make more in the long run since they didn't lose you to namecheap and for the rest of the time you own it with them you will be paying $8-10 with the convenience of auto-renew.
- joelandren 13y ago
  GoDaddy has recently changed their policy and no longer have coupon codes.
- duskwuff 13y ago
  Cost for most domains is in the $5 - $8 range, actually. GoDaddy is losing money at $2.49, but they're hoping to make it up on addons and renewals.

megablast 13y ago

This complaint comes from the discussion about affiliate marketing on this site yesterday. A large number of affiliates make there money with coupon sites apparently, taking advantage of this exact scenario. People see coupon, then they google for it. If you think this blog post looks familiar, it is.

frogpelt 13y ago

I would argue that remembering and entering a coupon is just as hard as remembering and entering a sub-directory name in a URL. In fact, finding the coupon code box can sometimes be a pain. It's not always on the first page in the ordering process.

bennesvig 13y ago

"This is a pretty ridiculous complaint." People are different. I do what he described every single time I see the coupon code when I wouldn't have thought about searching for one. I would have been happily enjoying my purchase instead to cruising junky ad filled sites looking for a discount. It's simple loss aversion. Instead of people seeing their purchase as a gain, they think about what they're losing by not having a coupon.

mijustin 13y ago
That's right: it's about the psychology post-purchase. How does the buyer feel? Do they feel good about their experience, or is there a nagging feeling of having missed out on a deal? This research paper studies those effects: http://www2.owen.vanderbilt.edu/mike.shor/research/promo/jpbm_reprint.pdf http://www2.owen.vanderbilt.edu/mike.shor/research/promo/jpb...
martin-adams 13y ago
It's interesting. I sometimes sigh when I see a discount box because I know I'm going to spend the next 10 minutes searching for a code. For me, not having the box would have meant I "knew" I was getting the best deal. Having the box and failing to find a code means I "failed" at getting the best deal, even if there wasn't a better deal to be had. Finding a code sometimes makes me think, "am I allowed to use it?" but of course, I'd try anyway and yes, can be pleased if I get the magical 10-15% off.
- kibibu 13y ago
  I wonder if your response would be different if the language around the coupon code was different. Instead of just a "Coupon code:" label, something that deterred you from entering one. "Slum it! Enter your poverty code here:"
  - martin-adams 13y ago
    That's got me thinking. I suspect it might. The psychology behind it form me is not to be getting a worse deal than everyone else. If everyone else can enter a discount code, then I should be able to as well. But if the code is targeted at a specific set of customers that I know I don't fall into, then I would probably overlook. Things like: - Student discount - Over 60s discount - Job seekers discount But finding the right label that doesn't offend, and right way to validate the authenticity of the customer's eligibility, is no trivial task.

jusben1369 13y ago

"This is a pretty ridiculous complaint" - No offense, but this is a ridiculous complaint. You totally sidestepped the point of the article - what message are you sending to your full price paying customer? Imagine you're side by side with a guy in two checkout lines and by chance you have the same 6 items. Both of you get rung up and it comes out to $100 on the display. At that point, you reach for your card. The other guy though, reaches over to the cashier and does a wiggly weird handshake. The cashier smiles knowingly, hits a button and boom it says $86. You've got no recourse to complain. The items you picked up were clearly marked and you accepted the total amount. You start to notice how every 5th person does the goofy weird handshake? Feel like shopping there again next time?

dminor 13y ago
Imagine you're in a store and the person in front of you pulls out a coupon and gets a discount. But you don't need to imagine it because it happens all the time and you still shop in stores.
- jusben1369 13y ago
  And you're offered those coupons all the time in newspapers and magazines but decide they're not worth the hassle. Here the first time you even discover coupons is at the checkout
  - ahoyhere 13y ago
    If you first discover that coupons exist at the cashier, you must be an alien going to a store for the first time. You hit the nail on the head with the first part of your comment -- you decided they weren't worth the time, and therefore you don't save the money. You don't huffily dump your items and leave the line. No, you think, "Hm, maybe I should clip coupons next time." (Although, of course, you don't.)
    - jusben1369 13y ago
      "If you first discover that coupons exist at the cashier, you must be an alien going to a store for the first time.' I guess the risk of using an analogy is they eventually break down if you go too crazy on them. I made it a "real world" example to look at the online experience another way so that people could perhaps relate to the original's author pet peeve. I think if the author of this original article felt like he understood how to get a coupon for the site he was on and decided not to anyway he wouldn't have written the article. Subtle but important point here.

kzrdude 13y ago

It's not a complaint, it's advice for online retailers.

skrebbel 13y ago

When I'm rich, I'm going to spam local radio stations with ads that spell out affiliate link URLs.

pessimizer 13y ago

mysite.com/podcast-name-or-one-word-punchline-to-something-funny seems easy enough.

auctiontheory 13y ago

I do not think "ridiculous" means what you think it means. 1) I personally have abandoned checkout carts when I realized they offered big discounts and I didn't have one right then. 2) Alternatively, the coupon code box has very often reminded me to go find a coupon - and pay less than I was already willing to pay. My behavior is normal human behavior. You can debate whether (1) is "logical," but the checkout process should maximize profit from real human beings, not theoretically logical ones.

GoNB 13y ago

It's your complaint that is ridiculous. The checkout page should have the lowest friction possible. Coupon boxes make people hunt for them. Anytime a customer leaves your store there's a chance they may not come back. This applies to physical stores too. > is it easier to tell people to type in www.mysite.com/coupon to their browser or is it easier to tell people to enter COUPON at checkout? I hear URLs spelled out in radio ads all the time. If this were 1996 you might have a valid point, but not in 2013.