Coupons drive revenue. Surveys show that 71% online shoppers take advantage of coupons and deals during holidays and Black Friday sales. Moreover, a coupon offer could nearly triple conversion rates. Still, coupon fraud is common and risks undermining the marketing goals that drive coupons at best, and cause real losses at worst. The tools to stop coupon fraud lie with retail software solutions

The retail industry is facing a growing wave of coupon fraud

It may seem innocent at first glance: double or repeated usage of a discount coupon. But misuse of coupons is costing retailers huge sums. The Forter Fraud Attack Index 2018 also suggests that incidence of coupon cheating is rapidly on the rise. There are plenty of tactics that consumers can use to try and get more than their fair share out of the coupons that retailers send them.

Customers can simply try to re-use coupons, which is particularly easy in cases where coupons are issued digitally or where customers scan coupons themselves, at a self-service machine. Craftier consumers will go as far as to register random email addresses in order to get additional, unique discount coupons to use – dumping their accounts as soon as they’ve placed their order.

Advanced tactics include creating and abusing referrer accounts in order to make repeated use of referral discounts, or trying to trick vendors into handing out underserved vouchers by intentionally abandoning carts. With a wide range of strategies at their disposal, some crafty retail customers will undoubtedly try and double or triple up on generous coupon discounts.