The Real Impact of eCommerce Coupon Browser Add-ons
This article was written and submitted by Michael Wiseman, Senior Sales Engineer for YOTTAA.
The rise of browser add-ons has presented a unique set of challenges for many eCommerce sites. These browser add-ons can do a variety of different tasks for the consumer from price and product comparison, automatically providing discount codes, to pointing users to another site to directly purchase the product. The usage of these browser add-ons is continuing to rise, as Yottaa has been able to see by looking at our existing customer base of over 1,500 eCommerce sites. This drive to greater usage is due to more than just looking for a lower price as an individual consumer, but also the growth of retail arbitrage.
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Examples of browser add-ons
Some of the better known price and discount code providers are Honey, Rakuten, and Coupon Cabin. These applications generate limited use discount codes, cash back offers, and historical price analysis on an individual product level. The majority of the browser add-on influence thus far has been in these kinds of applications.
Another feature of browser add-ons is redirection to another site to purchase a similar item for a lower price. Amazon Assistant is one of the more notable browser add-ons in this segment as it scans a product on a website, and then shows you how you can buy it on Amazon (usually at a lower price). These kinds of applications are directly taking users off your site, to shop (and likely buy) on Amazon.
What’s the real impact?
So what has been the impact of all of these browser add-ons? The results have been mixed from a few different perspectives based on tests Yottaa has run: discount application users tend to experience a much higher rate of conversion, but does this off-set the reduction in overall revenue on the order (which could be over 10%)?
In a 2020 report, 60% of eCommerce leaders surveyed said they lost over $200K annually (on average) due to browser extensions giving unintended discounts. There are also levels of security risks involved when browser add-ons have access to your site – like site hacks and data breaches. Additionally, Yottaa is starting to measure the prevalence of the Amazon Assistant application and what it is doing to user groups.
Yottaa’s SERVICE CTRL , an eCommerce governance solution, gives brands visibility on how often these browser add-ons are on your site, and which pages they are being used on most often. This tool also enables you to control how these add-ons interact with your site, and allows you to block or limit what they can do.
Get a free eCommerce browser add-on site evaluation and see what’s running on your site today!