The Key Role Coupons Play in Retail

Many consumers will browse through print ads, online ads and even social ads to find a good deal

Author: Jen King

Consumers are always on the lookout for a good deal.

In fact, in a March 2018 survey from Valassis, in conjunction with The NPD Group, many mentioned looking for coupons during different stages of the shopping process, whether it was something they planned to buy (42%), something they actually didn’t intend to purchase (26%) or even a coupon that “planted a seed” in them to shop (25%).

So it’s not surprising that seeing a retailer’s print or online ad encourages potential purchases. Some 44% of internet users said it does, with millennial and millennial parents surveyed more likely to feel this way.

And it’s not just print or digital ads that get a consumer’s attention.

Amazon continues to dominate retail, accounting for about half of every dollar spent online in the US and by 2020, it’s predicted to account for 50% of US retail GMV. Make no mistake, Amazon’s going nowhere. So today, it’s not a question of ‘should’ your brand be selling on Amazon, but ‘how’ it’s selling on Amazon.

In a May 2018 survey from mobile coupon solution provider CodeBroker, the largest share of US coupon users said they would likely respond to a coupon offer they saw on in-store signage, cited by 57% of respondents. Other types of ads, like a Facebook ad (12%) or TV ad (7%) also encourage this kind of behavior.

Coupons are a great tool to not only drive planned purchases, but impulse ones as well. This mirrors findings from a January 2018 survey from Inmar, where nearly four in 10 US grocery shoppers said they had bought more than they intended because of a good deal.