Distributing coupons and codes online doesn’t mean that they can only be redeemed in an e-commerce environment. In fact, coupon validation allows for significant benefits in attracting potential customers to brick-and-mortar points of sale of the brand, product, or distributor. If you distribute digital coupons, discount vouchers, and promotional codes with Easypromos and want to redeem them in physical stores or establishments, the Easypromos’ prize redemption tool is the solution you are looking for. Keep on reading to learn more about how it works and its main features.
The challenge: Coupon validation and avoiding fraud
In the past, companies and physical points of sale weren’t sold on the reliability of coupons and codes given away in promotions, as it was challenging to have complete control over their use, leading to potential deception and multiple uses. However, with the Easypromos’ prize redemption system, each coupon is associated with the unambiguous identification of the registered user, overcoming this difficulty.
Big brands and retail stores have their own verification systems for codes, so they don’t require extra tools to validate coupons held by customers. However, if this is not your case and you need a way to verify the digital coupons that you have distributed online on the spot, Easypromos’ tool is the solution for you.
How does the coupon validation tool work?
When a user participates in a promotion and wins a prize, it will be displayed on the final screen along with the options to save and redeem such prize. As an organizer, you can:
- Display the prize along a personal, unique code previously uploaded to the platform.
- Provide a personalized pdf file along with the prize, that users can save in their device.
- Display inly the prize so that it can be redeemed directly from the device’s screen at the physical point of sale using the Easypromos prize redemption tool.
All of these options include the possibility of using the platform to send users an email so that they have the coupon information available to them in their email.
If you aim to draw visits to physical stores, it is advisable to enable the redemption tool and specify a time frame when users can redeem the digital coupon. This will create a sense of urgency to benefit from the promotion before it expires. The functionality is included in the tool and allows displaying a countdown timer on the prize screen, as depicted in the following image. Try the DEMO to get a feel of the user experience throughout the entire process.
How to carry out coupon validation in a brick-and-mortar shop.
When users come into your establishment to redeem a prize, the only thing they have to do is to show the promotion’s final screen with the prize. If the time frame to redeem the prize is several days long, it’s important to configure the automatic sending of the email with the prize information so that it is always available to users and to ensure conversión. To validate the digital coupon, the prize redemption tool offers two options. Deciding whether to enable one or both, is up to the organizer.
- Enable the validation portal if you want the shop assistant to validate the coupon. The portal is a password protected microsite accessible to the shop personnel as long as there is a computer with internet connection available. To redeem a prize, the staff has to introduce the prize’s reference number.
- If the redeem via mobile option is enabled, it will be the users who will have to show their phone screen to the shop assistant and validate the prize themselves. To make sure that prizes are individually assigned, you can add a PIN number to the validation that will be provided by the shop assistant. This PIN code will have to be entered by the user to redeem the prize.
How to verify a promo code with the validation portal
The validation portal allows shop assistants to carry out the coupon validation and verify that it is valid and hasn’t been used already. The portal consists of a password-protected microsite to ensure that it is only accessible to the relevant staff. Hence, the personnel at the shop will need to know the portal’s URL and password.
To experience how it’s like to verify a coupon, follow these steps:
- Get a coupon or promotional code from the Distribute Coupons DEMO.
- Access the validation portal of this promotion (password: test) and enter the reference number that you will fin in the coupon that you downloaded. Yu can also try with theses codes:
- ep_valid Will display a message stating that the code has been validated correctly.
- ep_used Will display a message stating that the code has been used already.
- ep_invalid Will display a message stating that the code is not valid.
Benefits of the Prize Redemption tool
- Verifying the digital coupon is easy, fast, and smooth. Both prize redemption options allow for quick and unambiguous verification. It has been designed so that coupon validation requires minimal effort and time. The point of sale only needs a device with an internet connection (mobile or computer) and the password to the Portal.
- Multiple formats. Participants may present the digital coupon printed on paper, in PDF, or, for greater convenience, they can directly show the prize presentation screen on their phone. Any option is valid when using the validation portal as only the reference code needs to be entered. And if the mobile redemption option is chosen, the seller only needs to provide the security PIN, witness the user enter it, and will then receive a validation message.
- Create a sense of urgency to redeem the coupon. You can include a preset expiration time that will create urgency among users who have obtained the coupon. It is ideal for promotions at events or announcements within the same establishment, as this encourages users to redeem their digital coupons as soon as they get them.
- Adaptable to every brand’s characteristics. If your physical stores do not have access to a computer with internet, or if you prefer to spare the attendants from the validation, enable the mobile redemption option only. On the other hand, if you prefer the staff to validate the coupon presented by the user, enable the validation portal, and they will need to enter the reference on the microsite.
- Identify users. Get to know the customers that have participated in your promotion and redeemed their coupons. Organize future promotions to further improve the relationship with customers.
- Measure the conversion of the points of sale. If there is more than one point of sale where participants can redeem their code, the company or brand can find out how many have been validated, when, and at which establishment/validation point.
- Satisfaction: Enhance your customers’ experience. The online interaction of customers with the brand/product/company can lead to a physical visit to the store and the validation of their coupon, which creates a more personalized and satisfying experience for customers. Moreover, the gift or discount rewards them for the effort and time they spent on the online promotion.
- Customize the promotion with your brand. All elements can be personalized with the brand’s image, colors, and logos, from the microsite to the validation portal, the digital coupon, and the email. You will be able to do this without any need for programming, ensuring that the promotion fully aligns with the brand’s identity.
This feature is available in all Easypromos microsite-type products and can be enabled from the Promotion Editor. If your aim is to distribute a variety of coupons or discounts, you can use the Digital Coupon Book to create, display, and manage them from a single promotion.
If you are interested in using this tool and have any questions, contact our sales and customer support team. We will be happy to help you chose the best option for your brand.
