ND0201126

Title: Coupon Interest Still High Among Shoppers

Description: More than 3.5 billion coupons were redeemed last year in the United States.

Page Content:

?WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. ? U.S. shoppers redeemed more than 3.5 billion coupons for consumer-packaged goods last year, a 6.1% increase over 2010, according to Inmar. While redemption activity in the first half of last year showed virtually no change from 2010, a 16% jump in coupon response in the third quarter of 2011 sparked the overall annual increase.

The increase in coupon redemption seen in 2011 continues an upward trend that began almost five years ago. After declining for decades, coupon redemption has increased 34.6% since 2006.

?Shoppers continue to love coupons. With consumer confidence flat, unemployment rates still a challenge and prices for most consumables on the rise, it?s now cool to be frugal -- to shop smartly. And, coupons are the vehicle consumers are using to do just that,? said Bob Carter, president of Inmar Promotion Services, in a press release.

The strong response to promotional offers comes in spite of a significant reduction in the number of coupons made available to consumers last year. After two years of increased distribution, marketers reduced coupon distribution by 7.5% to 311 billion coupons in 2011. The reduction was most apparent in the second half of the year, when distribution was slashed by 13% in the third quarter and 10% in the fourth compared to 2010 distribution statistics.

Shoppers also saw declining coupon values and shorter redemption periods. The average face value declined by 1.3% (down to $1.57) and the average amount of time a shopper had to use a coupon decreased by 4% (down to 2.4 months). However, this did little to dampen consumer enthusiasm for these promotions as they redeemed an additional 200 million coupons in 2011.

Mobile coupon usage will likely grow in the coming years. For more on coupons and convenience stores, check out ?Buy One Get One Free, Or Why Coupons Work,? from NACS Magazine.

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Content Subject: Marketing/Merchandising

Formatted Article Date: February 1, 2012

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