Coupon Design
All coupons depend upon accurate design to function correctly and reduce the risks of fraud and misredemption. To help you, we’ve put together these guidelines to help you.
Yes...we know it’s long.
No…we’re not kidding, you really do have to read and apply the guidelines below. But we’re here when you’ve finished to check your coupons and ensure they work properly and you haven’t forgotten anything.
Let’s get started…..
Shape and size
- Coupons should be rectangular in shape and no larger than a £5 note, so that they fit into the retailer’s till when printed.
- Allow at least 10mm from the barcode to the edges of the coupon and a minimum of 5mm for the “quiet area” between the barcode and any adjacent working or illustration.
- You can reduce this 5mm light margin to 3.63mm on the left hand side and 2.31mm on the right hand side of the coupon barcode if necessary.
- Printing the > symbol after the actual barcode number will prevent the scanner reading other material.
- The size of the barcode needs to be within the following sizes: width - minimum 29.83mm, maximum 49.75mm; height - minimum 21mm, maximum 31.51mm.
Information
- Clearly indicate the face value and a description of the product against which the coupon is valid.
- The face value should be incorporated into the barcode.
- Have a valid expiry date.
- Standard terms and conditions of use, which state the rules clearly to help a retailer in a validity dispute.
- If the coupon is being personalised, the name of the intended individual should be printed on it as well as a unique identification code in the form of a personalised barcode.
- If the coupon is being used for door drops, data capture panels should be included and if appropriate incentivisation to encourage their completion.
- Sequential numbering can also be added to coupons to prevent duplication or photocopies.
- Put current contact details on the coupon; ours if you are a contracted customer or your own if you are not.
- Make sure retailers are mentioned if the offer is store specific.
- Have only one close-out date to avoid confusion.
Images
- A clear pack shot of the product being discounted
- Retailer logo if it can only be used in one specific retail outlet
- Your logo for brand recognition
Miscellaneous
- Don’t forget to fill out an authorisation form
- Don’t use a UK issuer number for Ireland-only campaigns – purchase a euro issuer number instead from GS1 UK.
Steps to minimise misredemption and fraud
- State the rules clearly so there is no ambiguity during a dispute. An example would be, “Please do not attempt to redeem this against any other product”
- Have very clear pack shots and product information
- Don’t position coupons with perforations next to one another in case they are redeemed together with only one purchase.
- Tailor distribution to the medium. Don’t put a high face value in a newspaper or magazine as it encourages malredemption.
- Personalisation lets the consumer know the coupon is being tracked so they are less likely to pass it on to someone else. If they do, it can be tracked, although this service would have to be set up in advance.
- Ask your website designer to ensure e-coupons are sent straight to a printer and not opened up in a separate file.
- Block e-coupons from being printed more than a certain number of times by one household or ISP
- Make sure your e-coupons force the home user to only print in colour. This helps make printing cost-prohibitive to the small-medium scale fraudster.
- Consider whether your coupons could be made to open within a software package that would control the user’s printing attributes and prevent your coupon being saved or scanned in any way.
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