Couponing … Do You Clip, Collect or Click?
Online couponing continues to gain in popularity for a number of logical reasons. Among them, 1) it’s affordable for companies to place them on their websites, 2) consumers have the flexibility to seek out the retailers and offers of interest to them and 3) more people are becoming more comfortable with the process. Inmar, an organization that uses and tracks coupons reports a growth rate of 140% in online coupons from 2007 to 2008. However, there’s still some distance to travel before this option surpasses more traditional ones.
According to comScore’s February 2009 “State of the US Online Retail Economy,” other customary couponing sources are still more popular than online. 42% of US consumers say they get coupons from Sunday newspaper fliers, making it the leading option. In-store, manufacturer and those printed on receipts or packaging rank next in coupon popularity. Each is utilized about roughly 40% of the population. By comparision, just under 30% use online coupon services and 22% generate coupons from the specific retailer’s site. To learn more about the state of couponing in America, look over this recent report from eMarketer.