Coupons will bring people to your website and provide you a handy tracking mechanism answering such question as which ads, banners, and other marketing placements are working.

Implementation of coupons can be accomplished in many different ways.

• Page URLS

  One technological solution to coupons is to incorporate a coupon in a page URL. Something like http://www.somewhere.com/coupons/88726.html. This can require the user to type in the coupon-ized address directly into their browser. Or, a redirect script can be used from the front of your website. Whatever works for you within the limits of your technology know-how.

• Input field in forms

  It's easy enough to add an extra field to your order form allowing for input of a coupon code. The effect of the coupon might not be so easy to implement. If for example a coupon was designed to lower the price of an item then extra programming would be needed to have the coupon change the math of your shopping cart to compensate. This is non-trivial. But if a coupon were redeemable for a free sample or "super-sizing" of an order this can be handled in shipping. Thus by-passing the reprogramming issue.

• Special Instructions

  If you don't happen to have the facility to change programs at whim on your website it's still possible to use coupons. Just instruct your customers to input the coupon into a field you do have. An extra address line can be used, comments field or even added into the address after the name. Use what you have available.

• Phone in

  For some folks the prospects of getting a customer on the phone is ideal. To this end you could include special instructions within the body of your website instructing customers to redeem a coupon via phone.