Stopping discount codes leaking to coupon sites

You can limit the damage, not the copying

You cannot stop a public code being copied, but you can make a leaked code cheap and short-lived. Give every creator their own code, cap and date it in Shopify, watch which codes are used, and switch off any that leak. If leaks still cost you real margin, add an app that blocks coupon extensions at checkout.

Browser extensions are one route out. Honey, PayPal's extension, tests coupon codes at checkout on more than 30,000 sites and relies on its members to submit codes; a submitted code is tested, then offered to other members. Upfluence, a creator platform, says as much in its help centre: it is not possible to prevent a discount code ending up on a third-party website.

Set limits on every code in Shopify

Start with Shopify's own discount settings. Give each creator a separate code, so a leak can be traced and switched off without touching anyone else's. Usage is unlimited by default and a code with no end date never expires, so change both.

Under Maximum discount uses, set a total limit (a limit of 200 allows 200 uses across all your customers) and tick Limit to one per customer, which Shopify tracks by email address or phone number. Under Active dates, set an end date that matches the campaign.

Under Eligibility, you can restrict a code to a customer segment, such as customers who have not bought before, or to specific markets. You can also set a minimum purchase amount, and leaving Combinations unticked stops the code being stacked with your other discounts. For a small, known list, such as a creator's newsletter, you can give each buyer their own code: apps such as Bulk Discount Code Bot generate unique codes in bulk.

Watch your codes and switch off a leak

Shopify's Sales by discount codes report groups sales by discount name and shows how often each code is used, so a creator's code that suddenly takes far more orders than their posts could explain stands out.

When a code leaks, deactivate it. Anyone who then enters it is told the code is not valid. Create the creator a replacement at the same time, because a switched-off code stops crediting them with sales. Deactivating or renaming a code does not reset its usage history.

If you pay commission on code sales, a leak means paying for orders the creator did not drive.

Add a coupon-protection app if the losses justify it

Dedicated apps go further than Shopify's settings. By their own descriptions, KeepCart blocks Honey, Capital One Shopping, RetailMeNot and other coupon extensions at checkout, scans coupon sites, tells you which code leaked and where, and files takedown requests. Veeper blocks coupon extensions at checkout, alerts you to leaked codes on discount sites and removes them.

KeepCart's free plan scans coupon sites once a month; blocking, leak alerts and takedown requests start at $49 a month. Veeper starts at $59 a month, with a 14-day free trial.

Weigh that against what leaks cost you, which is the discount given away plus any commission paid on those orders.