Everyone loves a deal. And, that is true online as well as offline. People like and seek out coupons. In fact, according to a study by Burst Media coupons made available on the Internet are getting people’s attention.
Burst Media surveyed more than 4,500 women 18 years or older about their current use of the Internet for household purchases and their penchant for web coupons:
More than two-thirds of respondents (69.4%) say they would print and redeem an Internet coupon for a product they would be interested in purchasing. Three-quarters (75.2%) of women 35-54 years would print and redeem an Internet coupon – this compares to 62.2% of women 18-34 years and 67.7% of women 55 years and older. Among all respondents, 43.0% say they are more likely to redeem and print an Internet coupon today then they were six months ago. Read the Burst Media full story here.
Other industry experts have taken note of the consumer’s love for a deal as well. About this time last year, Google searches for the term “coupons” exceeded searches for “Britney Spears.” (AdAge.com).
Consumer penny-pinching and the decline of newspapers are making online coupons a hot ticket:
NEW YORK, NY – March 31, 2009 – Platform-A’s Business Intelligence organization, in partnership with Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), has released the results of a new study on trends in consumer couponing with interesting results. Based on input from more than 36,000 IRI panelists gathered in September, 2008, the study gauged consumer usage of traditional newspaper coupons and interest in digitally distributed online coupons. (Full press release here.)
As a result of this growing trend several websites now offer access to coupons for almost anything you buy. Sites promoting the best deals are also becoming extremely popular. Here are a few examples:
- Shop and Save: Search results page for coupons and deals.
- Slickdeals.net is a free, user-driven deal sharing site where consumers share information and collaborate in order to make better shopping decisions. The site provides a forum for discussion of various shopping tools.
- GasBuddy.com provides residents and visitors to an area access to local gas prices.
- BestCouponCode.com is one of many sites that now offer coupon code listings.
Yes, people love discounts and consumers are seeking coupons whether they’re offline or online. Just adding a dotted line around an image can increase click-thru rates.
Coupons can be used in many ways, whether you sell products or services. Common uses include retail shopping carts for almost any product; however, you’ll see them used effectively in email marketing campaigns, social networks, forums and blogs. Consider the use of coupons in your marketing strategy but be ready to honor the deal. Don’t forget to include an expiration date!
Are you using coupons in your marketing campaigns? Tell us about it (leave a comment below). Need help setting up a marketing campaign using a coupon strategy? Give us a call, we’ll be glad to help – thanks.