SimplyCodes · Consumer Survey

Is Promo Code Reliability Getting Better or Worse?

Shoppers were asked whether promo codes feel more reliable, less reliable, or about the same compared with one to two years ago.

Key findings
57%
say reliability feels about the same as one to two years ago — the majority perceive no change
21%
say codes have become more reliable — optimists outnumber pessimists by 8 points
13%
say codes have become less reliable
22%
are either uncertain or perceive a decline — a minority, but not negligible alongside a 35% failure rate
Perception breakdown
57%
About the same
21%
More reliable
13%
Less reliable
Full breakdown
About the same as before Stable
57%
More reliable than before Optimist
21%
Less reliable than before Pessimist
13%
Not sure Unsure
9%
Among those who perceive a change
21%
say codes are more reliable
vs.
13%
say codes are less reliable
Optimists outnumber pessimists by 8 percentage points. Among all shoppers who notice a shift in code reliability, the perception skews positive.
22%
"Less reliable" + "Not sure" — a minority, but not negligible
1 in 5 shoppers are not confident that code reliability is holding steady. This sits alongside a 35% checkout failure rate and 50% who believe retailers deliberately make codes harder to use — suggesting the perception of stability may reflect normalization rather than genuine satisfaction.
Reliability perception by age — context from Section V
Age group More reliable About the same Less reliable
25–34 31% — 10–16%
18–24 — — 10–16%
35–44 — — 10–16%
44–54 — — 10–16%
55–64 — — 10–16%
65+ — 67% 10–16%
Context

For the majority, the answer to "is it getting worse?" is no. The largest group (57%) perceives no change. Among those who do notice a shift, optimists outnumber pessimists: 21% say codes are more reliable vs. 13% who say less reliable.

The perception of stability may reflect that most shoppers view code failure as a normal part of online shopping rather than a worsening trend. This is consistent with the high failure rates documented elsewhere — shoppers may have simply calibrated expectations downward.

Age shapes the response: shoppers 25–34 are most likely to report improvement (31%), while those 65+ overwhelmingly say nothing has changed (67%). The "less reliable" response is remarkably consistent across all age groups — holding between 10% and 16% regardless of cohort.

SimplyCodes Consumer Survey · n = 1,463 U.S. online shoppers · Single-response question · 22% = 13% "less reliable" + 9% "not sure" · Age breakouts from Section V cross-tab · "—" = specific value not provided in source data