I’ve been wondering what the deal is with these Amazon coupons – you’ve probably seen them.

Like this

One theory is that it thwarts online price scrapers.

If you are Walmart, you employ an army of bots to check Amazon’s prices and adjust your own to stay competitive. The theory being: Amazon misdirects them with coupons.

CNN Business has another theory: that added friction and expiring coupons makes more people checkout.

The effort seems a bit like the ikea effect, and the expiring coupon creates urgency.

There’s one more though. It’s Amazon Marketplace sellers who list coupons, and Amazon takes a cut when they are used.