Finding a great bargain makes a purchase that much better. Dealspotr promotes the best deals and coupon codes by rewarding bargain hunters …
There's no shortage of coupon code sites out there. Some of them are really big and seem to have everything under the sun.
Finding coupon codes that work, though, can be a bit of a trick. I know that I've had to try a few before finding one that works, and sometimes I strike out.
The better sites monitor the codes they post, or let the community weigh in as to whether the code worked for them or not. This helps a little, but it takes a while for the bad codes to age off.
Dealspotr rewards good coupon codes
A few weeks ago a community manager of Dealspotr approached me about checking their site out.
It quickly became clear to me that there were savvy people behind the site. It's put together very well and it's obvious they're aiming to unseat the bigger established sites at their own game.
Like other sites it has a point system in place that rewards positive contributions to the community. The points can then be cashed in for gift cards (always a useful thing!) Here are some of the ways I've already earned points:
- Posting deals. This is the core activity of the site, of course. It does take some time to post a good deal that will get attention. After finding the deal (with or without coupon code) there's a moderately involved, but well-designed, form to post the deal. This is good, because it means that the deals posted aren't junk. I've needed to post screenshots of the deal in action, detailed instructions on redeeming the deal, and the dates that the deal is valid.
- Spotting deals that do well. Right now I get five “spots” per day that I can use to vote on deals I think are good. If one of the deals and/or coupon codes I spot actually ends up doing well, I get points. The earlier I spot the deal, the more points I get (because it's not a confirmed great deal yet). As I demonstrate that I can spot the winners, I'll get more spots per day.
- Having other members spot my deals. If other members approve of my deal and spot it, I get points.
- Having my deal “go hot.” If a deal gets enough attention it “goes hot” and I get bonus points for that. If it gets more popular it's an “on fire” deal and I would get more bonus points.
- Completing the daily checklist. I was able to complete this once; the first one wasn't too difficult. It had the effect of helping me to get to know the site a bit better and try out the different features. The one task that's getting me now is finding coupon codes for a user-requested site. (The reason it's user-requested, I imagine, is that deals for these sites are hard to come by!)
Why I see a great future for this site
(Let's get this out of the way first: If you click on the link and join, yes, I stand to get some points from your activities on the site. The points would be a bonus for me, but they're not coming out of your earnings. In fact, if you do sign up through my link, you get 5,000 points right off the bat, which is halfway to a $10 gift card!)
I mentioned up top that it was obvious that the people behind this site were very savvy. I'll explain.
Seeing how this site operates reminded me a lot of the philosophy that powers the best set of question-and-answer sites out there. The guys behind Stack Overflow, and at over a hundred similar Stack Exchange sites, have managed to get millions (if not tens of millions) of people answering each others' questions, all for free, and maintaining and moderating the sites, again for free, simply by rewarding good behavior and punishing bad.
People will go to great lengths to increase their imaginary internet points and the number of virtual badges they can show off on their profile pages, so the smart way to harness this energy is to reward things that build up the site and make it better.
This is exactly what Dealspotr is doing — except the imaginary internet points can actually be traded in for something real, and useful.
Dealspotr rewards the behaviors they want to see. Not only posting deals, but posting great deals. Not just voting for deals, but identifying the great ones before anyone else. Sharing deals with people who will use them. Building up the community by commenting, following, supporting, and referring other good members.
And, on the flip side, they'll ding you if you behave badly by posting bogus or inaccurate deals, griefing in the comments, etc. The points swing both ways.
That's philosophy, but where's the evidence?
The evidence, from my end, comes in a couple of forms:
- It's not easy being first to a deal. On any store where I thought I'd have an in-road to good deals, there was already good coverage, sometimes with multiple deals and multiple coupon codes. (I have managed to post a few, though!) This coverage brings a lot of value to anyone who wants to save money. And that's the whole point!
- The community is actively managed. I think some of the community managers are paid, but even if not, there are enough incentives to do it anyway. One in particular has practically taken me under her wing and is taking an active interest in how I'm getting along with the site. That says a lot about how the community is treated, and valued.
- The user experience is polished. The site is easy and clear to navigate, and the flow of doing pretty much anything on the site is low-friction. It's enjoyable to contribute on the site. They're paying attention to their users' feedback.
Check out Dealspotr for your next coupon code search
I've used other sites to find coupon codes so I'm going to be actively undoing muscle memory in order to head over to Dealspotr. (And if you're a blogger, send me a line, because there's even better-er stuff in store for you!)
