Discount Code Statistics
A sourced, dated roundup of discount code statistics: how many online shoppers search for codes, what happens at the coupon field, and how much sales volume a 10–30% discount has to add to break even at your gross margin.
Discount code statistics
Data on how often online shoppers search for and redeem promo codes, and how discounts affect conversion, order value and margin.
Discount code statistics measure four things: how many shoppers look for a promo code, where they find one, how the coupon field changes checkout behaviour, and what each promotion costs in gross profit. Each figure below gives its publisher and year, so you can quote it as written.
The pattern is consistent across 2024–2025 surveys. Most online shoppers hunt for codes. A visible coupon field triggers that hunt mid-checkout. A code that doesn't work loses a sale outright. Discounts are also more expensive than they look: at a 60% gross margin, a 20% discount needs 50% more orders just to earn the same gross profit.
Key statistics
62% of US consumers actively search for and use promo codes when buying online (SimplyCodes, June 2024). 59% of online shoppers use Google or another search engine to find a discount code before buying (SimplyCodes, 2024). 24% of shoppers abandon the purchase entirely when a coupon code doesn't work (SimplyCodes, 2026 shopper trust study). 24% of shoppers only search for a code when they see the empty promo field at checkout (SimplyCodes, 2026). 67% of shoppers have made an unplanned purchase because they found a coupon or discount (RetailMeNot, via eMarketer). 91% of US adults regularly seek coupons or discount codes, online or in-store (Savings.com survey of 1,011 adults, September 2025). Digital coupons made up 53.4% of all US coupon redemptions in 2024, the first year they were the majority (Inmar Intelligence, 2024). 26% of US adults used more coupons in 2024 because of the economy (Prosper Insights & Analytics / NRF, July 2024). 58% of shoppers say deals lead them to try new brands (Savings.com, 2025).
The numbers below are grouped into four questions a store owner actually asks. How many shoppers hunt for codes? Where and when do they look? What does a discount cost in margin? And how should that change your promo calendar? Every figure has its publisher and year, so you can quote it as written.
How many shoppers search for discount codes
Discount code search and usage: headline figures, 2024–2025
| Statistic | Figure | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online shoppers who actively search for and use promo codes | 62% | SimplyCodes | 2024 |
| Shoppers who use a search engine to find codes before buying | 59% | SimplyCodes | 2024 |
| Shoppers who always search for codes before buying | 24% | SimplyCodes | 2026 study |
| Shoppers who search only after seeing the checkout promo field | 24% | SimplyCodes | 2026 study |
| Shoppers who use a browser extension to auto-apply codes | 11% | SimplyCodes | 2026 study |
| Adults who regularly seek coupons or discount codes | 91% | Savings.com | 2025 |
| Online shoppers who search for deals while browsing or at checkout | 54% | Savings.com | 2025 |
| Shoppers who search for deals before shopping in-store | 70% | Savings.com | 2025 |
| Adults who say coupons help them cope with high prices | 82% | Savings.com | 2025 |
| Adults who now see coupons as a necessity, not a perk | 46% | Savings.com | 2025 |
| US adults using more coupons because of the economy | 26% | Prosper / NRF | 2024 |
| US grocery shoppers who increased coupon use (vs 26% in 2023) | 33% | CivicScience | 2024 |
| US digital coupon users | 169.2 million | eMarketer | 2025 forecast |
| Total US coupon redemptions | 871 million | Inmar Intelligence | 2024 |
| Digital share of US coupon redemptions | 53.4% | Inmar Intelligence | 2024 |
The safest figure to plan around is 62% (SimplyCodes, 2024). It describes active searching during online purchases, not a loose 'have ever used a coupon' measure. The near-universal figures of 90%+ come from questions like 'used a coupon in the last year'. They describe attitudes, not checkout behaviour.
The trend is up. Inflation pushed coupon use higher through 2024: CivicScience saw grocery coupon use rise from 26% of shoppers in 2023 to 33% in 2024. If your brand rarely runs promotions, assume more than half of your checkout visitors will still look for a code before paying.
Where and when shoppers hunt for codes
How online shoppers find and react to discount codes (% of shoppers)
The chart points to a specific leak in your checkout. A quarter of shoppers only start hunting when they see an empty promo field (SimplyCodes, 2026). Once they leave to search on Google, they can come back with an affiliate-tracked code, a competitor's ad in view, or not at all.
Expired or broken codes do the most damage: 24% of shoppers abandon when a code fails. This links straight to cart optimization. Baymard Institute's research lists unexpected extra costs as the top reason for checkout abandonment. A promo field the shopper can't use makes the full price feel like one of those extra costs.
The margin cost of a discount
Extra orders needed to keep gross profit flat after a discount, by typical vertical margin
| Vertical (typical gross margin) | 10% off | 15% off | 20% off | 30% off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty & skincare (~70%) | +16.7% | +27.3% | +40.0% | +75.0% |
| Supplements & wellness (~65%) | +18.2% | +30.0% | +44.4% | +85.7% |
| Apparel & accessories (~60%) | +20.0% | +33.3% | +50.0% | +100.0% |
| Home & furniture (~45%) | +28.6% | +50.0% | +80.0% | +200.0% |
| Consumer electronics (~30%) | +50.0% | +100.0% | +200.0% | Not recoverable |
Work through one example. An apparel brand on Shopify with a 60% gross margin runs 20% off sitewide. Each €100 order now earns €40 gross profit instead of €60. To earn the same gross profit, the store needs 50% more orders. Most promotions don't add half again in volume, especially when many redeemers would have paid full price.
How to use these numbers
Use the 62% search rate (SimplyCodes, 2024) as your baseline for how many checkout visitors will look for a code, not the 90%+ 'ever used a coupon' figures. Before approving a promo, check its target lift against the break-even table for your actual margin. Then measure incremental orders against a holdout group, not total redemptions. A redemption from a shopper who was already going to buy is pure margin loss.
What this means for your promo strategy
First, treat the coupon field as a conversion problem. You can collapse it behind a 'Have a code?' link, pre-apply active offers automatically, or show a clear 'no current offers' message. Each tackles the 24% who only hunt because the box is there. Test each change against your checkout completion rate, not your redemption count.
Second, segment who gets the discount. Shoppers who arrive from affiliate coupon sites or who already have items in the basket mostly would have bought anyway. A first-order code for cold paid traffic, or a recovery code sent after real exit intent, is far more likely to bring in orders you wouldn't otherwise get. Your redemption data, broken down by traffic source, shows which group you're paying.
Discount code statistics: frequently asked questions
62% of US consumers actively search for and use promo codes when buying online, according to SimplyCodes (June 2024). 59% use Google or another search engine to find them. Broader surveys put general coupon use above 90%, but those measure whether people have ever used a coupon, not what they do at checkout.
24% of shoppers abandon the purchase entirely when a promo code fails (SimplyCodes, 2026 study). Expired influencer codes and codes that silently fail on certain products are common causes. Check your active codes regularly and show a clear error message that offers an alternative.
It can. SimplyCodes found that 24% of shoppers only start looking for a code when they see an empty promo field. Collapsing the field behind a text link, or pre-applying the current offer, reduces how many people leave checkout to search. Test the change on checkout completion rate.
Required volume lift = discount ÷ (gross margin − discount). At a 60% margin, a 20% discount needs 50% more orders to keep gross profit flat. At a 45% margin it needs 80% more, and at 30% it needs 200% more.
Only if you design them to. A flat percentage off lowers AOV for the same basket. Threshold offers such as '€15 off orders over €100' or free shipping above a minimum push shoppers to add items. Compare AOV and units per order in the promo cohort with a holdout group.
Yes. RetailMeNot data reported by eMarketer shows 67% of shoppers have made an unplanned purchase because they found a coupon or discount. Savings.com (2025) found 58% of shoppers try new brands because of deals, which makes first-order codes useful for acquisition.
Yes, as of 2024. Inmar Intelligence reported digital coupons at 53.4% of all US coupon redemptions in 2024, the first year digital was the majority, out of 871 million total redemptions. eMarketer forecasts 169.2 million US digital coupon users in 2025.
About 11% of shoppers use browser extensions that auto-apply codes (SimplyCodes, 2026). They often apply codes meant for other audiences, like influencer or win-back codes, to shoppers who were already going to buy. They can also claim affiliate commission on the sale. Single-use or customer-specific codes limit the leak.
Targeted codes almost always protect more margin. A sitewide sale discounts orders that would have happened at full price. A code aimed at a specific segment, such as first-time visitors from paid social or high-intent abandoners, mainly discounts orders you wouldn't otherwise get.
Compare against a holdout group that didn't get the offer, not against total redemptions. Track incremental orders, gross profit per visitor and repeat-purchase rate for the promo cohort. Most stores can do this in their cart optimization or experimentation tool by splitting traffic before the offer is shown.
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