Coupons went out of style a few years ago, reaching a peak of 4.6 billion redemptions way back in 1999. Coupon use sank to 2.6 billion from 2006-08, but then the recession hit, and coupons became cool again. Coupon redemption was up 27 percent in 2009 to about 3.3 billion, according to NCH Marketing.
Coupons are still being delivered in the traditional ways – newspaper inserts and direct mail, but Internet redemption growth was up 263 percent in 2009.
Food continues to be the most popular coupon type with 65 percent of coupons being redeemed in grocery stores, but non-food couponing is up too. Non-food coupon redemption was up in 2009, representing one-third of all coupons. All types of retailers, including drug stores, mass merchandisers, dollar stores and convenience stores saw double-digit redemption growth.
Interestingly, 38 percent of “super heavy” coupon users and 41 percent of “enthusiasts” come from affluent households. Those in affluent country and suburban areas are more likely to be heavy coupon users.
Next on the horizon: mobile coupons and further roll-outs of other digital coupon distributions like shelf pad coupons and electronic checkout coupons. While your local advertisers may not be ready to jump into mobile or other high-tech coupon distributions, coupons are still a viable marketing technique. Keep that in mind as you help them with their plans.
Read more about the latest coupon numbers at marketingcharts.com.
Friday, Apr 16, 2010
Michelle OBrien