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An answer to a question on whether promo codes do more harm than good, mentioned that 27% of users will abandon a shopping cart to look for a promo code. As a follow-up, are there any statistics or studies that tell what percentage of those users looking for a promo code come back?

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This is a great question that I'd like to give some of my personal experience on. I've found in two high-volume sites that promo code abandonment is usually due to the shopper looking for the absolute lowest price possible, accompanied usually by the fastest shipping method. If they can't find the item elsewhere, they'll usually continue to buy, which is great for direct-to-consumer manufacturers. If you're up against someone like Amazon, we found that they'll go there (or eBay) if the price is right. – Nic May 17 '12 at 19:04
Even if you found research, it would not be very applicable, because whether they come back depends on the price and whether they found a code. That depends on the specific site, it's reputation, it's relative prices, etc, and will give you no insight into your own situation. – Myrddin Emrys May 18 '12 at 0:01
Promo code field says to the user "we do sell this item for less, but sorry, you're either the unlucky sucker we'll charge more, or we'll make you work for it". – dbkk May 20 '12 at 19:16

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from personal experience that's really annoying to see there is a place for a coupon, because most of the time you don't have it which makes you think: ok, where the hell am I supposed to get a coupon from? and that you google and don't find anything and it all leads to more frustration

my point is coupons work only for coupon junkies who are constantly looking for the deals and wait for their moment to seize it

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Promotional codes are for more than just "coupon junkies" - they're invaluable to marketing campaigns, and information collected from their use is valuable UX data. Avoiding the stigma associated with coupon/promo code boxes is another issue entirely. – Nic May 18 '12 at 5:34
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I think it depends on if your price is already competitive. They may find a competing ad and determine you're still the best price and come back to your site without a promo. On the other hand, the opposite can happen. Know your competitive landscape.

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