Trends in couponing: Are you posed to take advantage?

When it comes to couponing too many marketers seem to still be stuck in the 1950s with their offers. Certainly $0.25 off offers are great, but today’s consumers aren’t just looking to save a few pennies from a roll of Bounty. They are looking for deals in all retail sectors and in their quest they may take a competitor’s offer over yours unless you play your coupons right. Here are a few trends.

According to coupon hub CouponCodes4U over the past year their hub has seen coupon redemption - both online and in-store - increase by about 525%. What’s more the deals consumers are taking advantage of aren’t just at the local grocery. Consumers are looking online for coupons to e-tailers and even maid services. With the right coupon and call to action, a coupon can be a huge selling tool to increase a brand’s consumer base.

“We have found that almost all of our visitors are interested in online codes,” said Carl Weber, Online International Marketing Manager for Couponcodes4U.com. “The vast majority of our coupons are related to retail shopping, and the savings are much bigger [than traditional quarter-off-bread deals]. Many of our shoppers save $10 - $20 per purchase using coupon codes from companies like Macy’s, Target and Southwest Airlines.”

In addition to dollar off offers, consumers are now looking for:

• Free shipping/shipping discounts
• Electronics (television, computer, satellite radio) coupons
• Retail coupons for everything from jeans to shoes
• Store coupons - $20 off a purchase of $100 or $5 off a purchase of $50 or more

As the savings keep coming so do the consumers. Several coupon hubs report increased use over the 100% mark over the last two years as the economy has soured. But the real trend isn’t just the use of coupons, but the amount of time consumers are spending looking for these deals and discounts. That, according to the experts, will continue to push coupon use as the economy moves out of the cellar.

“We believe coupons will become more popular,” said Mr. Weber. “Especially in these tough economic times, people are being very careful about how they spend their money. Coupons allow people to maintain their lifestyles and continue to spend their money how they want to - even when budgets are tight. Things like clothing, electronics, vacations, etc. don’t have to be cut out of the budget if people can get them cheaper.”

The last trend: thinking outside the box. Every business, whether a retail store or a tax preparation business can benefit from a coupon offer. During the US tax season, for example, CouponCodes4u offered a coupon for tax preparation software.

“[Coupon codes] are much more than printable $0.25 discounts - we were giving away $140 worth of software. We believe the beauty of the campaign was that it not only helped us build our fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter, but also got people interacting with us, talking about us and sharing their tax season shopping stories.”

Kristina Knight