The complete guide to getting a brand's best coupon codes via email

Why do you subscribe to emails from brands?

Odds are (and coupon statistics show) you're probably in it for the discounts. Plus, since you’re reading this on SimplyCodes, we know you’re all about getting the best coupon codes so you've got your mind on your coupons and your coupons on your mind.

So sure, you could just sign up for a store’s email list, maybe get your initial signup discount, and then wait for their marketing emails to roll in with other coupon codes. You could. But you don’t have to. When you know the inner workings of how brands use email marketing (and when they’re likely to send out coupon codes in emails), you can put your thumb on the scale and potentially have the best discount codes sent right to your inbox.

We’re going to peel back the curtain a bit here to discuss six types of emails brands send that are likely to contain coupon codes and everything you need to know to capitalize on those email opportunities.

Coupon codes in newsletters and sales blast emails

So yes, we should probably start by talking about the most “traditional” form of email marketing: The broadcast email blast.

Many eCommerce and retail companies provide their customers with exclusive offers via email newsletters, sales blasts, and other general marketing emails. These emails keep customers informed about products and sales and often provide customers (who opted in to marketing emails) with coupon codes.

Why do companies offer discount codes in newsletters?

Businesses send out newsletters and other major email blasts, first and foremost, because email remains the most reliable way to reach customers, beating out social media in terms of reach and engagement.

A newsletter or other large marketing email aims to persuade both new and existing customers to make a purchase with the business.

Plus, when a business offers promo codes in email, it can entice customers or prospective customers to stay on the list and not hit unsubscribe. The longer a customer stays on the list, the more chances a business has to make a sale.

How to get these coupon codes from an email newsletter

To receive a company's newsletter, first, make sure you’ve opted into email marketing. Due to GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and essentially equivalent laws in other countries around the world as well, companies cannot send you marketing content, even something like a coupon code, without your consent.

Almost all websites will have a "Sign Up To Our Newsletter" button, pop-up, or landing page on their site; or you can subscribe when you make a purchase.

How frequently are newsletters sent?

How frequent these communications are will vary from business to business. Some businesses will send emails daily or almost daily (think giant nationwide retail chains like Old Navy). Smaller businesses may send emails weekly, monthly, or even less frequently than that.

What type of coupon codes are sent in an email newsletter?

Since most email newsletters and sales blasts go out to a store’s entire list (or strategic segments of the list), the coupon codes they contain are ones the brand is hoping and expecting lots of people will use. As a result, most of the time, the coupon codes won’t be targeted at individual users and will instead be common coupon codes — think things like FREESHIP or VALENTINES15.

Some email newsletters may contain single-use coupon codes, which are unique to the recipient and can only be used once — but multi-use promotional codes that are not unique are far more likely.

Coupon codes in abandoned cart emails

We’ve all done it: You’re shopping online, find something you like, add it to your cart… only to decide against buying it at the last minute. This is where abandoned cart emails come into play.

Companies are aware this is happening — roughly seven out of 10 eCommerce shopping carts are abandoned — and they know they can entice at least some of those customers to come back and finish their purchases. So if they have your email address, many brands will send automated emails to try to get you to come back. And those emails just might include a discount code to sweeten the deal.

Via: Milled__.

Why do companies offer discount codes after an abandoned cart?

Businesses know it’s costly and challenging to get more prospects onto their site. So when a potential customer gets that close to making a purchase but then leaves their shopping cart at the last second, the brand is willing to do what they can to change that into a sale.

It is much easier to convert a potential customer than find a new one. Think of this like the car salesperson running out of the dealership after someone who was almost ready to buy a car, but decided to walk away. That salesperson will usually give that potential buyer a better deal because doing so is ultimately more cost-effective than finding a brand new customer. Discount codes in abandoned cart recovery emails work under the same principle. 

How to get coupon codes after abandoning your cart

Simple! (Well, “simple” even though this is definitely an expert move when it comes to finding online promo codes.) Before you make any purchase online:

• Make sure you have opted into marketing emails with that company. While in some countries (including the U.S.), abandoned cart emails fall into a gray area as to whether or not they require explicit marketing consent, cautious companies will only send them to customers who have opted in.

• Add the product to your cart.

• Leave the site without making your purchase. 

Wait at least 72 hours to see if the company contacts you about your near-purchase — although most will send an abandoned cart email much sooner than that.  If you haven’t received the email within three days, likely, the company doesn’t send abandoned cart emails.

Also — you may not see a coupon code in that email. Some companies will send a series of abandoned cart recovery emails over the course of a few days, and in the first email, they won’t offer a code to see if they can bring you back with a simple nudge. If that doesn’t work, the second email they send may be the one with a code.

How frequently are abandoned cart emails sent?

The most recent data we could find shows about one-third of stores send abandoned cart emails — but since that’s from a few years back and cart recovery emails have become a more common feature at email marketing providers since then, we’d expect that number to be even higher. 

And when a brand wants those emails to be effective, they know a coupon code is the best bet. A study of more than nine million abandoned cart emails found ones that included a coupon code were opened 44% more frequently and received nearly 11% more clicks.

What type of coupon codes are sent after abandoning your cart?

Companies will usually lean toward single-use coupon codes in abandoned cart emails — they want to give you a personalized, one-time discount to buy the stuff in your cart. Some may, however, use a multi-use code (like RECOVERY10) — although they run the risk of having that code leaked out and used by people who aren’t recovering carts.

In general, the type of coupon codes will depend on the customer journey and what software and tools each company has at their disposal.

Coupon codes in welcome emails

A welcome email goes out after you opt into a brand’s mailing list. The email can serve different purposes: introducing the brand, showcasing top products, and, of course, often providing an introductory discount.

Via: SmartrMail__.

Why do companies offer coupon codes in welcome emails?

This marketing tactic is an age-old classic and most common automated email brands will send. After you subscribe, the company knows you’re interested and probably looking to buy — after all, why would you sign up yet another marketing email list if you weren’t?

Companies look to capitalize on that window by offering you a welcome email discount to entice you to make your first purchase. A coupon like this tends to be a limited-time offer to try to entice new prospects into a purchase by creating a sense of urgency.

How to get coupon codes from welcome emails

To get a welcome coupon code, check the company's website to find where you can opt-in to marketing communications and sign up. Many businesses will have a welcome program of emails, push notifications, and/or SMS messages, designed for people just like you.

More advanced brands will use customer segmentation to identify you separately from an existing customer and target you with welcome emails.

How frequently are welcome emails sent?

More than half of brands send welcome emails to new subscribers. You may get an email right after you opt-in, within the first 72 hours, or even a week later.

How many emails you receive in the welcome series will also vary from business to business.

What type of coupon codes are sent in a welcome email?

Welcome email coupon codes tend to use a percentage discount. This could be a generic code such as WELCOME10 (as we found in our ongoing study of the most common coupon code phrases, “WELCOME” is third-most popular); or if the brand’s email marketing software is more advanced, like you see in the Barnes & Noble email above, you might receive a personalized single-use promotional code.

Coupon codes for birthdays

Another way marketers seek to entice you to make a purchase is by offering you a discount on or around your birthday.

For businesses, this is a win-win approach. Not only are they offering you an incentive to hopefully lead to another purchase from their company, but they are also showing customers they care about them by knowing when their birthday is and offering them a present of sorts.

Why do companies offer coupon codes on or around your birthday?

Companies give their customers an offer around their birthday as they know many customers will feel special and appreciate that they remembered their birthday.

In truth, the company has no idea when your birthday is, but they will have an automated workflow set up in the background to send you an email on your birthday automatically.

Nonetheless, the intent here is to show customers they care and hope that in return, the customer will use their exclusive birthday discount code as they feel special.

How to get coupon codes on your birthday

When you register your information with a chosen company, make sure you have opted in to marketing communications, and input your birthday if requested. The company will then use that information and send you a triggered email on your birthday with your discount code.

What if your birthday is nine months away and you don't want to wait? Well… we’re not telling you to put in an incorrect birthday that’s sooner, but there are no birthday police checking for birthday accuracy. We would recommend not using the day you sign up as your birthday — or even a day within the week — as many companies will require some length of time between signing up and receiving a birthday discount.

How frequently are birthday emails sent?

Some companies send these communications on your birthday; some send them a few days in advance or even at the beginning of your birthday month.

Via: Rejoiner__.

What type of coupon codes are sent on or around your birthday?

As with other email campaigns, whether you get a multi-use code that everyone gets (like BIRTHDAY20) or a single-use code will vary from brand to brand. However, birthday codes do trend toward free products or something else that feels like a “gift” — that keeps with the birthday theme, after all.

Replenishment reminder coupon code emails

Some products you buy are meant to last a long time, if not forever. However, most products need to be refilled or replaced — especially consumable products like vitamins, razor blades, dog food, and the like.

So brands will often send automated emails when they estimate your supply of their product is going to run out and you’ll need to re-up.

Why do companies offer replenishment reminder email coupon codes?

As with other coupon codes, brands know that it is much easier and cheaper to reengage a former customer with a replenishment discount, rather than spending money trying to continually gain new customers. Plus, replenishment reminders can be a really helpful and customer-friendly service; it can be nice to have someone else worrying about when you might run out of something rather than having to remember yourself. 

Via: SaleCycle__.

How to get replenishment reminder coupon codes

If you are interested in getting replenishment reminder codes for a consumable product you have bought previously, opt in to marketing emails from that company. Some companies may even give you the option to opt in to replenishment alerts.

How frequently are replenishment reminder emails sent?

The frequency of these emails depends entirely on what the product is, and which company is executing the email marketing plan. 

For products that need to be replenished frequently, expect to see these emails quite often and quite quickly after purchase. For products that are less frequently replenished, these email coupon codes will be more sparse. Most of the time, the company will have the email triggered to send roughly one or two weeks before they estimate you’ll run out of your supply.

What type of replenishment reminder coupon codes are sent?

You shouldn’t expect to see massive discount codes with replenishment reminders — after all, the company knows there’s a good chance you’d reorder a high-quality product with or without a discount — so expect to see a code more in the 5% to 10% off range. Still, over time, that can add up — and for some brands or products where coupon codes are rare, replenishment reminders may be one of the few discount codes you’ll see.

Winback coupon codes email

Finally, we have discount coupons that companies offer lapsed or former customers. These codes get sent to customers who have bought from that business before, but they have not done so for a while. You’ll be able to spot these emails because the subject lines usually say “We miss you” or something in that vein.

Via: Klaviyo__.

Why do companies offer winback email coupon codes for former customers?

Companies know the importance of keeping their customer base engaged. After all, what is the point in having all of these email addresses if you are not maximizing them? 

As we’ve touched on throughout the article, it is much easier to get former customers to repurchase than to draw in new customers continually.

Winback emails are also good tools for email list maintenance. Brands need to make sure their email list is filled with engaged, interested customers. So if a brand sends a winback and the customer doesn’t take them up on the offer, often they’ll cut the customer from their list. 

How to get winback email coupon codes

Winback emails will take a little longer to come to you than other offers on this list — after all, the company needs to lose you before they can try to win you back. You need to have opted in to marketing communications, and you likely need to have made at least one purchase.

How frequently are winback emails sent to lapsed and former customers?

As with all discount code email campaigns, these send times and frequencies will vary entirely from business to business. Winback emails are not as common as welcome emails or cart abandonment emails, so you shouldn’t expect to get one from every brand you’ve ever purchased from.

From there, it’s just a question of when the company in question tries to re-engage you. A common rule-of-thumb is anywhere from three months to six months after your last purchase, though that can vary from industry to industry; a company that sells six-figure hand-woven rugs probably doesn’t expect you to buy one every quarter.

What type of coupon codes are sent to former customers?

A winback discount is probably going to be good, but not the best discount you’ve ever seen. While the company does want to re-engage you, they don’t want to seem too desperate or seem like they’re rewarding you more than their loyal, non-lapsed customers. 

Still, you can get some good discounts in winback emails, both of the single-use and multi-use variety, so make sure to open the “We miss you” emails when you get ‘em to see the coupon codes inside.

Coupon code email advice: Conclusions and takeaways

Marketing emails can be one of the best sources for coupon codes (outside of downloading SimplyCodes for your web browser or Safari on your iPhone, of course). And if you understand the ways brands use email to distribute coupon codes, especially rare and single-use coupon codes, it can help you save quite a bit of money on your future purchases.

• Newsletters and sales blasts. Newsletters and sales blasts generally contain multi-use coupons which a brand is distributing to its entire subscriber list.

• Abandoned cart recovery emails. Cart abandonment emails, which try to entice you to return to a store to finish checking out, will regularly include a coupon code to close the sale.

• Welcome emails. New subscribers will receive welcome emails, many of which will contain a coupon code as the brand tries to “strike while the iron is hot” and convert their new subscriber into a first-time customer.

• Birthday emails. Lots of brands will celebrate a customer’s birthday by sending a promo code, often for a free gift or product.

• Replenishment reminder emails. If you buy a consumable product, a brand may send you a reminder when they expect you’re about to run out — and offer a discount to get you to re-order.

• Winback emails. Brands will send winback emails to lapsed or former customers hoping a discount code will re-engage those customers and get them buying again.