A shopper has a code from your newsletter: 20% off. They fill a basket, reach checkout, paste the code and see "this code is not valid." They try again. Same message. They email your store asking what is wrong, and while they wait, they find the same product elsewhere.
Discount code questions stall a checkout at the worst possible moment. The shopper has decided to buy. They have their card out. And now they feel either confused or cheated.
Why codes "don't work"
Genuinely broken codes are rare. Most "code not working" questions come from terms the shopper did not know about:
- The code excludes sale items or certain brands.
- There is a minimum spend the basket has not reached.
- The code has expired.
- It cannot be combined with another offer already applied.
- It is for first orders only, and the shopper has ordered before.
- It only applies to certain delivery options or regions.
In each case, the shop is working as intended. The problem is that the shopper was never told.
The emotional cost
A failed code feels personal. The shopper was promised something and it did not arrive. Even if the terms were fair, the experience is of being let down at checkout. Some shoppers abandon out of frustration. Others complete the order but trust the store a little less.
That is why answering these questions quickly matters. A shopper who hears "this code excludes sale items, but it will work on the two full-price items in your basket" usually carries on. A shopper who hears nothing usually leaves.
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Answering code questions instantly
Visitor: My code SPRING20 isn't working. Assistant: SPRING20 gives 20% off full-price items with a minimum spend of $50. It doesn't apply to sale items. If your basket includes sale items, the code will only work once the full-price items reach $50.
SpideyChat for ecommerce stores answers promo questions from your published promotion terms at any hour, which matters because many shoppers use codes in the evening, straight after receiving a newsletter. It cannot see an individual shopper's basket or account, so account-specific problems are captured for your team.
Preventing the questions in the first place
Most code questions can be prevented with clear terms:
- List exclusions wherever the code is advertised.
- State the minimum spend clearly.
- Show the expiry date and time, including the time zone.
- Say whether codes can be combined.
- Keep a promotions page with current codes and their terms.
That page also gives an assistant clear material to answer from.
When the code really is broken
Occasionally a code genuinely fails because of a setup mistake: a typo in the code, the wrong dates, or a product accidentally excluded. When several shoppers report the same code in a short time, check it immediately. A pattern of questions about one code is often the fastest way to discover a broken promotion, long before anyone looks at the sales figures. Fix it, and consider honouring the discount for those who asked, since they did nothing wrong.
Planning for promotional peaks
Promo questions spike during big sales. If you run Black Friday or seasonal promotions, expect code questions to multiply. The planning steps in the Black Friday inbox problem and how to plan for it apply directly: publish the terms in advance and make the answers instant.
Stock often runs low during promotions too, which adds another layer of questions, covered in how to answer stock and restock questions without an inbox.
Codes in other industries
Software companies see the same pattern with discount and annual plan questions. A buyer confused about whether a promotion applies to their plan pauses the purchase, in much the same way as a shopper, a theme that also appears in onboarding questions that predict churn. For a deeper look at handling codes in retail, see how to handle discount and coupon questions.
Your next step
Look at your current promotions and check the terms are visible wherever each code appears. Then test how code questions get answered from your site, or see the features list for what else an assistant can handle at checkout.