We’ve been chatting about an idea and wanted to get your honest thoughts before taking it any further.
How would you feel about users being able to have their own discount codes for products they genuinely recommend?
For example, if someone loves a product and mentions it to the community, they could share their personal code. Other members would get a discount, and the person sharing it might receive a small reward or kickback.
We can see both sides of this.
It could be a great way to reward people for helpful recommendations and give everyone access to better deals. But we also understand that it might make some people wonder whether recommendations are still genuine, or whether users are only sharing products because they benefit from it.
So we’d love to know what you think.
Would personal discount codes affect how much you trust product recommendations?
I’d like this because discounts and rewards sound like a win-win
I’d be okay with it, as long as everything is clearly disclosed
I’m unsure because it would depend on how it’s handled
I wouldn’t like this because it would make recommendations feel less trustworthy
0voters
Also, what rules or safeguards would make this feel fair? For example, clear disclosure, only allowing codes for products people have actually used, or limiting spammy promotion.
This is a really interesting idea. Initial thoughts - discount codes should be for items that forum members own - whether purchased or tested. The use of the codes should be limited to avoid unintended consequence of us issuing them to maximise rewards, if that makes sense.
It is a great idea, as you say just need to be mindful of peverse incentives.
It will need careful monitoring to prevent forum members gaming the system, not that I am saying any would.
You could limit the reward given to the review writers to the same category they have previously reviewed. Or only issue a reward if another forum member mentions the review in their own review of the toy.
This would be less to do with reviews (as these need to remain honest and not be influenced by anything else), and more for products recommended directly on the forum. eg.
Would multiple people have codes for the same products?
I’m unsure how it would work to keep the reviews honest rather than just recommending for the chance to get a code for the potential kickbacks. Would it just turn into people recommending even if the genuinely didn’t 5 the product?
I feel it could get messy, if handled right could be great however.
Codes will not be allowed in the reviews, it won’t be attached to reviewing at all - as you say we don’t want people giving a product 5 stars in the hopes of getting some kickback.
Each user would have their own discount code that they could share on the forum when they recommend products, similar to how affiliate links work
It sounds a great idea but unworkable i would say, there is a incentive for members to give biased reviews which the co have no control over. I hope you or someone comes up with something that benefits the company and the members.
What would be the criteria for getting a code and how many products could someone have a code for?
How many people will be able to have a code for a specific product?
Would codes have expiry dates or a maximum number of uses?
Could codes be shared outside of the forum?
What would be the etiquette for sharing codes? Would people only be allowed to share them in appropriate threads (ie not in their bios or a thread called “what codes do you have”), if more than one person has a code for the product, can they both share their code in the same thread? (It would be pretty annoying to write a detailed post with recommendations only to get multiple people posting “yeah, agree with all that, here’s my code”), would there be any penalty for people pushing their codes when they shouldn’t (eg some asking for recommendations for a small, cheap bullet vibe and getting replies suggesting monster dildos or fleshlights or £200 toys etc)
I think anyone can apply for a code, if they work the way I think they do
My understanding of them is that they are a blanket discount, rather than product specific
I would need to check this!
Yes, they could be shared anywhere the user wants.
Yes, we’d need to add code etiquette to the rules. Spamming codes, adding them in non-relevant threads and nor including actual recommendations would not be permitted!
I don’t mind the idea in principal, however, I think there’s a lot of ways it could go pear shaped.
For me, I think the forum being a discussion hub is the primary goal and perhaps adding incentives to recommend a product could go some way to making replies inorganic.
Writing reviews and gaining access to some testers is a great incentive in itself, and doesn’t impact the open discussion of the forum.
That said, if the mechanics could be worked out so that the balance is correct and open discussion is not hindered, then I’d be open to it. I like that LH is looking at some sort of reward for forum contributors.
Some questions that come to mind :
Is it just for links to the UK site, or other international sites?
What happens when a product is removed from the shopping site but the post / link / code remains?
How do people creating the post / recommendation know what the discount will be while creating the post, or will it just be (as mentioned above) a blanket 10% (for example) ?
Will there be some way of managing / seeing what ‘points’ (or however the benefit is allocated) have accrued?*
It sounds like a lot to manage.
Best of luck working through it though.
I like the idea of it, but would want to see something in place to make sure it doesn’t become a total spam fest like you get with things like TopCashback or Octopus Energy (have a look at the beermoney subreddit and that’ll give you an idea of what that’s like).
Is there any way it could be paired with something likE the WowTech points for surveys?
I love the idea and I like to think most of the people I chat to would be trustworthy. But.
People being people and the interweb being the interweb, it could get exploited very quickly and undermine your brand and the forum.
Recieving a kickback for recommending a product is problematic, it feels like you’re paying for that positve recommendation. With testing, for example, you expllicitly say the reviews should be honest, positive or negative, and there is no incentive from posting either. No bias.
You’d have to limit the number of codes. I wouldn’t provide more than 10 to an individual per product with an expiration tied to the sales tail so you can benefit.
Who determines what quality of recommendation gets a code? Is one line and a link enough or do you need a multi paragraph review, personal anecdotes and photos, to qualify? Is it a sliding scale for variable code usage?
Is it limited to products they can prove they’ve bought from LH? How do they prove if its been bought from LH via eBay, Amazon or another?
I can see a place for codes when someone reviews a LH product, positive OR negative, on their own website. You’re not rewarding the content of their review but just the effort they’ve gone to and the brand awareness
I recommend an item, either because its helpful to another member or I’ve got it and not because I would gain something from it - I feel it might slightly take away from the experience and people giving genuine advice.
It would be interesting..but right now it’s a no from me. However I’m open for change
This goes along the line of the codes I mentioned the Christmas of 2024 here where Lovehoney did a calendar with codes for each month I look forward to seeing thins happen. And will think on it more.
We genuinely like the idea if not linked to reviewing an item and just purely on a product recommendation.
The challenge however will be how this is managed to prevent a good thing being abused with people recommending something just to get something free in return.
This then just translating into random recommendations to get something in return.
Maybe a yearly cap on 3/4 codes that can be given in 12 month period etc. This might then limit to recommendations on genuine recommendations and not through a desire for perks.
I’m really not sure about this one. I think it could be misused and lead to less genuine recommendations if there is an incentive to the person recommending the product.
In the past I have asked for suggestions, advice and opinions on the forum and the responses I have received have influenced my decision more strongly than even reviews on the website (which I do rely on heavily and appreciate at lot). Personal advice and recommendations from people I ‘know’ on the forum is the most trustworthy opinion at the moment but I would definitely be less inclined to trust recommendations on the forum if I thought the person recommending something had an incentive to do so. A bit like influencers on social media - I wouldn’t trust a recommendation for anyone in a youtube video or on social media because they might be paid for pushing a particular product.
I think people would start recommending products that aren’t actually suitable for the person asking for advice just because they want a reward. For example, if I ask “I’m looking for a a new clitoral vibrator but I’m really sensitive so I need something gentle”. I might get responses from people who really, genuinely love their powerful wand but claim that it would be suitable for my needs, which it wouldn’t because it’s not gentle. There would be no way to moderate the forum for this because the person giving out the code did genuinely love the product and want to recommend it but it might not be suitable in that situation. It would make me question whether the recommendations are actually made for my needs or if people are just finding an opportunity to push a particular product that they like to get a reward.
Maybe the codes would work if it there wasn’t a benefit to the person giving out the code but I think a lot of people wouldn’t bother if there was no incentive for themselves. I would, and I think some others here would too, because we want to help but, in general, people do like an incentive.
I can also see people joining the forum to get codes and therefore discounts and rewards for themselves rather than just because they enjoy the forum.
Sorry that sounds a bit negative but it would really change how I feel and use the forum.
This is a great idea, i get people may write biased reviews but I’d like to think theres enough true customers providing honest feedback to make this work! Theres nothing wrong with a negative review if an item doesnt work for you, it may still be great for others! We always take reviews into consideration before purchasing items!
In theory I think its a great idea, but I’d just really hope that the forum threads don’t become a sea of discount codes on threads asking for recommendations.
Would be interesting to see how it works but would be nice to be able to give a wee discount to friends. Especially if its not product specific but more LH specific. I would have no issues recommending LH to friends and if we both get a littlesomething for that, then I’m good with that.
the product?
on 3/4 codes that can be given in 12 month period etc. This might then limit to recommendations on genuine recommendations and not through a desire for perks.