The internet exploded in the 90s when internet shops such as amazon popped up on the web and started making lots of money. Nowadays there are many more companies online and the competeition is fierce. Companies are now actually finding it hard to get business because the competition is so big. They now do such tactics as affiliate marketing and pay per click marketing. They also do promotions and give out coupon codes. Coupon codes give the customer a certain percentage off the cost of a product or offer a free gift when used. Most retailers that have websites now use these codes.