Not all coupons are created equal, when it comes to beefing up your bottom line. 

Which do you think will tend to give you higher margins, a coupon for $10 off a $100 purchase, or a coupon for $10 off a $100 gift certificate?

On the surface, the numbers are the same, and it shouldn't really make a difference. But, consider these points:

• You benefit from the "float" of gift certificates: Your payment arrives today, your inventory/services exits later. A great thing, as long as you're not somehow earning a negative return on cash flow!
• The psychology of a gift certificate recipient is a bit different from that of the buyer. The recipient may be thinking, "Santa Claus gave me this $100 gift certificate, but I see $120 worth of stuff I like. I spend just $20, and get all of this stuff? OK." The data displays this attitude. According to the National Retail Federation, the average customer uses the full amount of the certificate plus an additional 15% of the face value. What if they just want to cash out? Fine: you still received interest on their money while the certificate was outstanding.
• Not everyone spends the whole certificate in one sitting. In fact, according to the Tower Group, more than half of customers take more than 1 trip to utilize a certificate. Increasing your foot traffic equates to more sales opportunities.
• Unfortunately for consumers, not all gift certificates find their way back home. Estimates vary, but most businesses can expect 4% - 16% of certificates go unredeemed, instantly boosting margins.

Whether a coupon for a gift certificate is a brilliant idea for your business or a mediocre one depends heavily on many factors, including your industry (i.e., If you're in the pest control business, you may want to skip over the gift certificate idea! "I was in your house and noticed a lot of roaches" is probably not a great Hallmark card sentiment...). But for most businesses, it's worth considering. With unlimited coupon postings at Couponfield, there's no problem posting a coupon for a gift certificate alongside additional offers.