In a world of savvy customers and complex marketing funnels, voucher codes remain a powerful tool to drive conversions, incentivise action, and track campaign success. But not all voucher codes are created equal.
If you’re still relying on generic voucher codes for your affiliate, influencer, or marketing campaigns, you may be leaving money, and data, on the table.
In this post, we’ll break down the difference between generic and unique voucher codes, why it matters for performance marketing, and how you can get more from your campaigns with the right approach.
What's the Difference?
Generic Voucher Codes
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Example format: SUMMER10, WELCOME20
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How they’re used: Same code shared across users/channels
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Tracking: Limited, difficult to attribute accurately
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Risk of abuse: High (leaked, shared, misattributed)
Unique Voucher Codes
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Example format: X5JQ9K2MZ, HG7WM2V7H
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How they’re used: Individually generated for each user/partner
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Tracking: Fully traceable to a user, channel, or campaign
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Risk of abuse: Low (single-use or restricted use)
Generic Voucher Codes: Easy but Risky
Generic codes are simple to create and easy to distribute. They’re typically used in large, mass-marketing campaigns, think: 10% off with WELCOME10.
Pros:
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Easy to set up
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Great for broad campaigns
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Low technical barrier
Cons:
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Codes can be leaked or shared widely
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Hard to track which partner/channel drove the sale
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Makes fraud and coupon stacking more likely
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Reduces control over campaign performance
Unique Voucher Codes: Secure, Scalable, Trackable
Unique codes are automatically generated and assigned to individual users or partners. For example, an affiliate called Jenna might be given 10,000 codes, each traceable back to her.
Pros:
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Precise attribution to user, campaign, or channel
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Prevents code leakage and misuse
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Supports affiliate payouts and reward logic
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Enables A/B testing and campaign optimisation
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GDPR-friendly when cookies are restricted
Cons:
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Requires code generation logic
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Needs proper distribution via platform, email, etc.
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Slightly more technical setup
Why eCommerce brands should care
Accurate Tracking
Generic codes when used for tracking by affiliate networks break the attribution chain. Last click is always overruled. If you want to know who truly drove what sale, unique codes are the answer, especially in a world where third-party cookies are disappearing.
Affiliate and Influencer Campaigns
Giving each partner a batch of unique codes allows for clean attribution, individual performance measurement, and precise payout. No more disputes over who “really” earned the commission.
Combat Code Leakage and Fraud
Generic codes often end up on deal sites, hurting margins and making it impossible to control the user journey. Unique codes can be tied to a single use, limited timeframe, or specific product.
Data-Driven Decisions
Want to test which offer works best by influencer? Or which time of day has the highest conversion rate? Unique codes let you slice the data and act fast.
Real-World Risk: Code Leakage in Action
A brand working with three affiliate partners used a single generic code: SAVE20. It ended up being leaked online, used across other channels, and even entered into Google Ads campaigns.
The result? Thousands of redemptions, but zero attribution to the partners. No way to reward them fairly. No visibility into who drove real value.
Final Thoughts
Generic codes are a relic of a simpler time. In today’s marketing environment—dominated by privacy concerns, data complexity, and performance accountability, unique codes are essential.
If you care about attribution, campaign control, and partner performance, it’s time to upgrade your code strategy.
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