5 Key Statistics about Digital Offers and Couponing

Growing up, I remember going to the grocery store with my mom. She’d bring a wrinkled, worn out envelope with her, every time. Inside were several crumpled, half-torn thin pieces of newspaper or magazines—items cut and saved to be used on household essentials; things like fabric softener, peanut butter and apple juice.

Couponing has changed dramatically since the days of pouring through the ads in the Sunday paper, reviewing and analyzing the bombardment of merchandise and grocery offers, cutting or tearing the potentials and saving them for future use.

Paper coupons are very much still relevant today, but digital couponing continues to gain popularity, especially as the use of social media and mobile devices continues to increase.

While food coupons remain the most popular and prevalent form, any business that caters to the consumer can benefit from this marketing tactic. With the reach and targeting available through digital channels (particularly social media), businesses are in a good position to see positive returns from their efforts.

Consider these statistics about digital offers and couponing:

• eMarketer estimates over 102.5 million people will redeem a digital coupon—that’s over half of US adult internet users
• Shoppers redeemed 66 million digital coupons in 2013, up 141% from the year before
• 45% of tablet users will redeem a coupon obtained from an app, mobile internet, GR code, or SMS (according to that same eMarketer study linked to above)
• In terms of growth and distribution volume, 9 of the top 10 coupon categories came from non-food products (according to a the NCH Annual Topline U.S. CPG Coupon Facts Report for Year-End 2013)
• 90% of retailers believe digital coupons improve their ability to deliver personalized offers

With Earth Day right around the corner, it’s also important to call out how environmentally friendly digital couponing is—less paper means less waste, after all.

How effective have your digital couponing efforts been? Let us know in the comments below.