A digital revolution in couponing coupled with the belt-tightening of the recession have combined to make coupons cool among more than just those clipping the Sunday circular. Digital coupon usage is now firmly a part of the online shopping experience of millions of US consumers, according to eMarketer.

Published: 06 Jun 2011

A digital revolution in couponing coupled with the belt-tightening of the recession have combined to make coupons cool among more than just those clipping the Sunday circular. Digital coupon usage is now firmly a part of the online shopping experience of millions of US consumers, according to eMarketer.

eMarketer estimates that by the end of 2011, nearly half of US adult internet users, or 88.2 million people, will have redeemed an online coupon or code for use either online or offline in the past year. By 2013, 96.8 million adults will redeem an online coupon.

“Consumer brands are accustomed to promoting their products in stores and in newspaper inserts,” said Jeffrey Grau, eMarketer principal analyst and author of a forthcoming report on online couponing. “But as more shoppers make purchase decisions online before taking a shopping trip, brands are following them onto the Internet.”

The growth rate for online coupon users is expected to gradually decline through 2013, as most online consumers predisposed to using digital coupons already do so.

Already, household usage of digital coupons has nearly doubled since 2005. Experian Simmons reported that 12 percent of households redeemed coupons from email or the web that year; it expects that figure to reach 22 percent in 2011.

“Today’s online coupon users tend to be affluent, highly educated and over the age of 55,” said Grau. “This is valuable input for marketers shaping the different elements of a promotional campaign, such as what products to promote with coupons, where to place the offers and what marketing messages to use.”

Travel industry

In a recent interview with EyeforTravel’s Ritesh Gupta, Mark Simpson, Founder and President, Maxymiser, mentioned that Social, Mobile, Coupons and Customer Experience Management all hold massive potential upside for travel businesses who get their strategies right.

“With a shift of owning the customer moving back towards suppliers the need for competitive sites which relate to each individual visitor is more than ever. This focus will create innovation, however, the biggest innovations are actually happening outside the travel industry but have a dramatic affect on the way in which travel businesses need to operate to compete and be successful,” said Simpson.