Kavra LabWhat promo abuse means
Every promotion has a rule about who gets it: new customers only, one per household, one per order, members only. Promo abuse is any pattern that breaks that rule on purpose while hiding that it does. The most common version is simple. A shopper, or a reseller, creates a fresh account with a new email for every order, so the 20% first-order code applies every time.
At larger scale it is organized. Groups share working codes and step-by-step guides in forums and chat channels, and some sell "fresh accounts" preloaded with credits. Resellers use scripts to create accounts in bulk and buy discounted stock to resell at full price. The customer that marketing thinks it acquired a hundred times is one person.
Common forms of promo abuse
| Form | How it works | Where it hits |
|---|---|---|
| New-account discount farming | A new email, and often a new card, for each first-order code | Online stores, meal kits, delivery |
| Referral self-dealing | One person refers their own fake accounts to collect both rewards | Apps with give-and-get referral credits |
| Code stacking | Combining codes the terms say cannot be combined, through checkout bugs or scripts | Stores with many overlapping campaigns |
| Leaked private codes | Single-use or influencer codes shared publicly and redeemed by thousands | Any brand running targeted offers |
| Reseller bulk buying | Discounted limits bypassed across many accounts, stock resold | Limited drops, electronics, sneakers |
How promo abuse shows up and why it matters
In the data it looks like success at first: a campaign with strong new-customer numbers and low cost per order. The cracks appear later. Repeat purchase rates for those customers are near zero, many orders ship to the same few addresses or lockers, and the "new" accounts share devices, networks or payment cards. Some shops only notice when stock of a promoted item runs out in hours.
The cost is more than the discount. Abused promotions raise acquisition costs, give margin to resellers instead of customers, and make marketing teams cut offers that would have worked for real buyers.
- Several new accounts redeeming the same offer from one device or network.
- Email addresses that follow a pattern or use aliases of one inbox.
- Orders from different names sent to one address or pickup point.
- Account creation, code entry and checkout completed in seconds, often by script.
Promo abuse vs bonus abuse
Promo abuse
- Discount codes, coupons, free shipping, first-order deals
- Value taken as a lower price or free goods
- E-commerce, delivery, subscriptions, travel
- Stopped at account creation and checkout
Bonus abuse
- Deposit bonuses, free bets, spins, signup cash
- Value withdrawn as balance or cash
- iGaming, fintech, crypto
- Stopped at signup, bonus claim and withdrawal
How to prevent promo abuse
Email checks and one-code-per-account rules are easy to get around because accounts are cheap. What is expensive for abusers is a truly new device, network and behavior for every order. Kavra links accounts that share those, even behind spoofed browsers and residential proxies, so you can keep the discount for real new customers and decline or review the repeat redemptions. The full playbook is on the bonus and promo abuse prevention page, with context for e-commerce and retail. The underlying technique is multi-accounting; for the gambling-side cousin, see bonus abuse.