Consumers Using More Internet Coupons

Internet coupons are of increasing interest to consumers, according to a recent analysis by consumer and media measurement firm Scarborough Research. Eleven percent of households cobtain coupons via the Internet, an 83 percent increase since 2005.

However, the Sunday newspaper remains the No. 1 place for acquiring household coupons. Fifty-three percent of households get their coupons from the Sunday newspaper. Other leading places for acquiring coupons include the mail (35 percent of households usually obtain coupons via the mail), in-store coupons (33 percent), preferred customer/loyalty cards (22 percent), in-store circulars (22 percent), weekday newspapers (17 percent), product packages (17 percent), and magazines (15 percent). All of the coupon acquisition categories have experienced growth since 2005, however none at the level of Internet coupons.

"With prices for consumer goods rising, we can only expect that a 'good deal' is of increasing importance to shoppers. Coupons are one of several economically-focused promotional tools that stores and product brands can use to get shoppers in the door and spending despite these uncertain economic times. And, the Internet provides an easy to use vehicle to search for coupons," says Alisa Joseph, vice president, advertiser marketing services, Scarborough Research.

Scarborough also examined Grocery Coupon Clipping Households, or those households that use grocery coupons (specifically) once a week or more. The analysis found Milwaukee, WI and Rochester, NY are the leading U.S. market areas for these households. Forty percent of Milwaukee households and 38 percent of Rochester households use grocery coupons once a week or more. Nationally, 27 percent of households use grocery coupons with this same frequency.

People hailing from leading grocery coupon clipping cities have higher than average Sunday newspaper readership rates. Nationally, Sunday newspaper readers are 15 percent more likely than all adults to use grocery coupons in their household. Not surprisingly, adults in leading coupon clipping market Milwaukee are 24 percent more likely to read the Sunday newspaper, and those in Rochester are 32 percent more likely to be readers of the Sunday paper. Sunday newspapers are known for being stuffed with coupons and advertising circulars.

Where are these consumers shopping? Grocery Coupon Clipping Households shop across categories, including mass grocers such as SuperTarget, traditional grocers such as Kroger's, and warehouse clubs such as Sam's Club. However, they are average for shopping at Wal-Mart Supercenter, the grocery store with the highest percentage of grocery shoppers nationally.

The Scarborough analysis also showed that Grocery Coupon Clipping Households tend to spend slightly more money on groceries weekly, $114, versus the national average of $110. They are more likely than the average household to purchase a variety of grocery products across categories--from pantry staples like coffee and ready-to-eat cereal to health items such as yogurt and energy/nutrition bars.

The demographic profile of Grocery Coupon Clipping Households illustrates that the appeal of coupons is wide-ranging. They are average for having children at home. People across all income brackets clip grocery coupons--however those with higher household incomes tend to be slightly more likely to clip grocery coupons.

Albuquerque, NM, El Paso, TX, and Fresno, CA are the markets least likely to have Grocery Coupon Clipping Households. Fourteen percent of Albuquerque households use grocery coupons once a week or more. Fifteen percent of those in El Paso and Fresno use grocery coupons with this same frequency.