Speed Stick Coupon Error

Did you catch the Speed Stick coupon error in the 1/21 SmartSource? If you did, you might be getting some FREE Speed Stick deodorant. It turns out that some of the coupons were incorrectly coded for FREE product while other coupons were correctly coded as BOGO. This is how the two versions of the coupon appear on QSeer which shows how the coupon will scan at the store.

So how did this happen? There were two different offer codes used, and somehow Colgate-Palmolive made a mistake with one of them. It turns out that the coupons with offer code 046138 are correctly coded as BOGO while the coupons with the offer code 046140 are incorrectly coded as FREE.

We encourage Colgate-Palmolive (and all coupon issuers) to use CHEQR which is a coupon barcode verification app. If Colgate-Palmolive had spent the relatively small fee for CHEQR, scanned their coupon barcodes prior to printing and then made corrections, they could have saved themselves millions of dollars in unintended redemptions from this coupon alone. This is the exposure report the brand group would have seen if they scanned the barcode with CHEQR.

CHEQR includes multiple reporting tools within the app to allow manufacturers full visibility into how their coupon barcodes are encoded. We can schedule a personalized demonstration of the app anytime.

Our goal at Dusty Wallet is for companies to issue accurate coupons. We would be happy to help any manufacturer, printer, or promotions company with their coupon barcodes on a consulting basis. Our team is comprised of consumer marketing veterans with Wharton MBA’s combined with computer science experts from Duke and Georgia Tech. Just send an email to dustywalletinc@gmail.com, and we will help you stop making costly errors in your coupon barcodes.