How to Manage Coupon Code Leaks on Shopify: 5 Methods

Last Updated on April 4, 2024 by Dan S
Originally Published January 1, 2023.

What is a coupon code leak?

A coupon code leak is when a confidential or exclusive coupon code is made public or shared with unauthorized individuals. Coupon codes are often used by retailers to offer discounts or promotions to customers, and they are typically only valid for a limited time or for a specific group of people.

When a coupon code leak occurs, it can result in unintended discounts being applied to purchases including promo code abuse , which can impact the merchants bottom line.

It can also lead to frustration among customers who were not intended to receive the discount, as well as damage to the retailer’s reputation.

How can you prevent a coupon code leak?

Below are 5 methods a Shopify store can utilize to help prevent and mitigate coupon code leaks:

1. Use unique and randomly generated coupon codes: By using unique coupon codes that are difficult to guess or replicate, it can be more difficult for unauthorized individuals to access them. You can use a tool to generate random codes or create your own system for creating codes that are hard to guess.
2. Limit the number of times a coupon code can be used: Setting a limit on the number of times a coupon code can be used can help prevent abuse and ensure that the discount is only being applied to the intended number of purchases.
3. Set an expiration date for your coupon codes: Expiring your coupon codes after a certain date can help prevent unauthorized individuals from using them after they are no longer valid.
4. Use customer-specific coupon codes: If you have a specific group of customers that you want to offer a discount to, you can create customer-specific coupon codes that can only be used by those customers. This can help prevent unauthorized individuals from using the code.
5. Use coupon code tracking software: There are various software tools available that can help you track and manage your coupon codes, including monitoring for any suspicious activity or unauthorized use. These tools can help you identify and prevent coupon code leaks. Below we have listed available tools on Shopify and their benefits.

5 apps to manage and track coupon codes for your Shopify store

1. Coupon Detective

   Coupon Detective is a tool that provides a comprehensive view of coupon usage on a store. It allows you to see how consumers are using coupons applied at checkout from deal sites or coupon extensions, and helps you prevent affiliate misattribution or inflated commissions for purchases that were not actually driven by affiliates.

   Coupon Detective also helps you track lost revenue due to misused or leaked coupons and identify the source of the problem. With this tool, you can understand which deal sites are leaking coupons, recognize when visitors are using coupon extensions, and segment user data based on coupon usage, such as average order value, total sales, and number of orders.

2. cleanCART

   cleanCART is a tool that helps merchants control their discount strategy by blocking the automatic injection of scraped coupon codes from coupon extensions like Honey and Capital One Shopping.

   It also provides a robust analytics dashboard with details about coupon leakage to external deal sites like RetailMeNot, and other coupon usage statistics, so merchants can take action and ensure appropriate attribution. cleanCART allows merchants to prevent inflated commission payments and clear up attribution reporting, block unauthorized discount codes applied at checkout from third-party extensions, and recover immediate revenue. It also has no negative impact on page load speeds.

3. Promo Pirates

   Promo Pirates is a tool that helps merchants solve coupon and discount code leaks by tracking what sites their codes have leaked to and blocking coupon extensions like Honey. It enables merchants to regain margin that is otherwise lost when affiliate or influencer codes leak out.

   Promo Pirates allows merchants to block 25+ of the top coupon extensions from showing on their store, control coupon leakage by getting reports on what sites their codes have leaked to, and build rules to automatically kill codes that are displayed on coupon websites. It also helps merchants speed up their site by disabling coupon extension popups that redirect customers.

4. KeepCart

   KeepCart provides a comprehensive solution to safeguard your checkout process by blocking coupon code leaks to a wide array of sites such as Honey, CapitalOne, RetailMeNot, Rakuten, Coupert, Karma, and many others, offering more extensive protection against extensions than any other tool available.

   It eliminates disruptive coupon extension pop-ups during the checkout phase, thereby enhancing margins and utilizing protected discount links to circumvent marketing attribution complications.

   By tracking the websites where your codes may have leaked, KeepCart ensures code security, offers analytics on leading coupon sites, and helps you manage revenue losses effectively, making it an essential tool for maintaining the integrity of your promotional strategies.

5. Shopify Admin

   This one is included as part of your Shopify plan. Provided you don’t have too many coupon codes to look after and monitor, then you can keep an eye on everything from within the Shopify admin.

6. If you have an Ambassador program or an App that is generating lots of coupon codes then this can be more challenging. Once you have outgrown the Shopify Admin view for managing coupon codes then one of the above solutions will help you keep on top of coupon leaks and management.

Conclusion

Preventing and managing coupon code leaks is an important aspect of running a successful online store. By using unique and randomly generated codes, limiting the number of times a code can be used, setting expiration dates, using customer-specific codes, and utilizing coupon code tracking software, you can help protect your business and ensure that your coupons are being used as intended.

While it’s not possible to completely eliminate the risk of coupon code leaks, taking these proactive measures can help minimize the risk and safeguard your business.