Media Sales Today

Traditionally, consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers have used coupons to get shoppers to try new products or services. During the recession, coupon distributions rose significantly but analysts reported that these numbers dropped in 2011. And, in 2012, marketers may be making some changes to their coupon strategies.

One sure way to get consumers to try a new product or service is to present them with a coupon. The bigger challenge is how to get that coupon into the hands of consumers. And it can be even more challenging when the coupons are being released digitally.

Consumers are already shopping for holiday gifts. But budgets remain tight so finding deals online and in the stores will be important for most shoppers. And the latest research shows that online coupons play a key role in the bargain hunting strategy.

Much has been made of the daily deal phenomenon as consumers search for ways to save money on everything from massages to laser hair removal. And while digital coupons are growing quickly, most U.S. consumers are still turning to traditional sources for their coupons. Since the recession started, these numbers have skyrocketed.

For several years during the recession, one traditional marketing tool, free-standing insert (FSI) coupons, enjoyed huge growth rates. But recent data suggests consumer product goods (CPG) manufacturers, the most frequent issuers of these coupons, may be turning to different marketing strategies. But while the FSI industry may be changing, other marketers are still finding value in this format.

Free standing insert (FSI) coupon activity in the first half of 2010 is up 10.1 percent over the same period last year. While digital couponing is also up, digital coupons aren’t pushing printed coupons out of the way yet, and that’s good news for newspapers.

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.