Unique discount code
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In short
A discount where each shopper gets their own code, generated in bulk, so every code can be traced to the person or channel that received it.
What it means
A unique discount code is one of a set of different codes generated for a single discount, usually issued one per customer by an email or SMS tool. Most are set to work once, which makes them single-use codes as well. Affiliate and influencer codes made up 15.11% of identified use cases in Seguno's 2025 benchmark of 162,000 unique code sets on Shopify. Seguno sells a unique-code app.[Seguno, Aug 2025] (opens the source)
On your store
Your welcome email sends each new subscriber a different code. When one turns up on an order, you know which subscriber it was sent to.
Why it matters
A unique code limits how far one copy can travel, and tells you where a code that did travel came from. It can still be collected before it's used. Outway's founder told AdExchanger in 2023 that Honey still applied a code auto-generated for some other shopper.[AdExchanger, Jun 2023] (opens the source) A creator can't read a unique code out in a video, so unique codes suit email and SMS better than broadcast channels.
Sources
- 1Seguno, “2025 unique discount benchmarking report: what 162K discount code sets reveal”, Aug 2025. seguno.com (opens the source)
- 2AdExchanger, “Recouping the hidden costs of coupon code leakage”, Jun 2023. adexchanger.com (opens the source)
Read next
Related terms
- Shared discount codeOne code, like SPRING20, that anyone can enter as often as its limits allow. Easy to say and share, and just as easy to copy.
- Single-use codeA discount code that works for one order only. Copies fail after the first use, though the first person to use it may not be the one it was sent to.
- Discount code leakWhen a discount code reaches shoppers it wasn't meant for, through voucher sites, coupon extensions or sharing, and lands on orders it wasn't priced for.
- Creator codeA discount code issued to one creator for their audience, which also credits that creator with the sale and usually their commission.
