Your first two weeks: see before you stop

Watch what extensions do on your store before you change anything.

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Read the transcript1:09

Why see before you stop

  1. Coupon extensions are generous like that. They hand your shoppers a discount, then charge you a commission for the favour.

  2. But before you start blocking things, it helps to know what's actually going on.

  3. Your first two weeks. See before you stop.

Install and test

  1. First, install Benson and check it's live. It needs to run on every page of your store.

  2. Then run a test visit. Your store opens with a fake coupon pop-up only you can see, and you get to watch Benson catch it. Very satisfying.

Observe mode

  1. Turn on observe mode. Benson notes what it would hide, without touching a thing. It's free on every plan.

  2. Now let real shoppers bring their real extensions. On a small store, that can take a day or two. Go and make a cup of tea.

Your extensions report

  1. Then open your extensions report: which ones your shoppers run, how often, and how their orders compare with everyone else's.

  2. Two weeks in, you'll know exactly who's been helping themselves, before you've changed a thing.

  3. See before you stop. Find this playbook in Benson.

At a glance

Watch what extensions do on your store before you change anything.

You know your extension share and which extensions matter, before you've changed a thing.

Jump to the steps
The result to look for

Extension share of sessions

5 practical steps

Who it's for

Every new store. Start here if you installed Benson in the last fortnight.

The problem

You installed Benson because something felt off. Discount spend creeping up, a commission line nobody can explain, or a customer mentioning a pop-up you've never seen.

The temptation is to switch everything off on day one. But you don't yet know which extensions your shoppers run, how often they appear, or whether any of them bring sales you'd miss. Change things blind and you'll never know what the change did.

Coupon extensions cost you twice: the discount they apply and the commission they claim. You can't tell which ones matter until you've seen them on your own traffic. A fortnight of observing gives you a baseline, so every change after it can be measured.

Skeptical kid meme: “So you’re telling me the coupon extension ‘found’ this customer… on the checkout page she was already on?”

How to approach it

  1. Make sure Benson sees everything

    Install on every page, then run the test visit. A gap in coverage looks like a quiet extension, and you'd read the wrong report.

  2. Watch without touching

    Observe mode records what Benson would hide while your store behaves exactly as before. That record is your baseline.

  3. Read it, then pick your next move

    After a fortnight, look at extension share, which extensions turn up most, and how their orders compare. That tells you which playbook comes next.

The steps

Work through the plan

0 of 5 completed

Progress stays on this device · Local marks are a reading aid; they do not verify your store or change Benson.

  1. To do

    Step 1: Install Benson and verify it

    Benson needs to run on every page of your store. Verification confirms it's live.

    Benson checks this in your account

  2. To do

    Step 2: Watch Benson catch a test pop-up

    A test visit opens your store with a simulated coupon pop-up only you can see. You see exactly what Benson spots and hides.

    Benson checks this in your account

  3. To do

    Step 3: Turn on observe mode

    Observe mode records what Benson would hide, without hiding anything. It's free on every plan.

    Benson checks this in your account

  4. To do

    Step 4: Wait for real extension traffic

    Real shoppers bring real extensions. On a small store this can take a day or two.

    Benson checks this in your account

  5. To do

    Step 5: Read your extensions report

    See which extensions your shoppers run, how often, and how their orders compare with everyone else's.

    You decide when this is complete

Common pitfalls

  • Judging it after a day

    A day or two over-weights whoever happened to visit. Weekends, emails and paydays all shift the mix. Give it the full fortnight if you can.

  • Running a sale during the baseline

    A promotion brings out deal-seekers and their extensions. A baseline that includes one makes every ordinary week afterwards look better than it is.

  • Installing on some pages only

    If the tag misses your product or cart pages, the extensions that act there go unseen. Verify the install before you trust the numbers.

  • Switching to Block before you've read the report

    You lose the before picture, and with it any way to show what changed.

“They don’t know” meme: a guy in a party hat stands in the corner thinking “They don’t know I can see every coupon extension at my checkout.”

How you'll know it worked

You know your extension share and which extensions matter, before you've changed a thing.

What to watch: Extension share of sessions

Want the method behind the numbers? Read how to measure extension impact.

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