Voucher Codes THE solution
There has been alot of talk of inappropriate voucher code use, click to reveal voucher codes and general affiliate abuse of voucher codes.
Well here is the solution for merchants.
It will nullify voucher code fraud, it will mean that any non affiliate vouchers are not abused, it will mean that voucher code fraudsters who display non existant vouches will not get commission after another affiliate has done the pre sale.
ONLY display the voucher code box at the checkout when a visitor has used a URL specific to the vouchercode. This may be a magazine or TV advert, PPC advert, flyer or other. It is your right to have this URL / voucher combination IGNORE the affiliate tracking code from the network.
Many merchants already do this on their PPC campaigns. If the PPC campaign is the last referrer for the sale the sale is not reported to the affiliate network.
So if a user sees your advert and discount code in a magazine /catalogue/on tv or whatever and uses your link - something like merchant-name.xxx/offer a cookie would be triggered to show the vouchercode box on your website. The same cookie would deactivate the affiliate netwrok tracking code. Customer gets the discount, the sale is trackable and the merchant doesnt fork out commission when the user searches for a discount vocher for the product.
When the affiliate link is clicked no voucher code box is shown so customers will not abandon the shopping cart looking for a voucher.
Also the merchant wouldnt lose the sale to a competitior selling the same/similar product when searching for a discount code.
