Popularity of Internet Coupons is Growing

Internet coupons are of increasing interest to shoppers, according to a recent analysis by consumer and media measurement firm Scarborough Research.

Eleven percent of households currently obtain coupons via the Internet, and this has increased 83 percent since 2005. However, the Sunday newspaper remains the number one place for acquiring household coupons. Fifty-three percent of households get their coupons from the Sunday newspaper.

Other leading places for getting coupons include:

• The mail - 35 percent
• In-store coupons - 33 percent
• Preferred Customer/Loyalty Cards - 22 percent
• In-Store Circulars - 22 percent
• Weekday newspapers - 17 percent
• Product packages - 17 percent
• Magazines - 15 percent

All of the above categories have experienced growth since 2005, however none at the level of Internet coupons which have increased by 83 percent.

"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," said Alisa Joseph, vice president, advertiser marketing services, Scarborough Research.

Scarborough also examined those households that use grocery coupons (specifically) once a week or more. The analysis found Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Rochester, New York are the leading U.S. market areas for these households.

Forty percent of Milwaukee households and 38 percent of Rochester grocery coupon clippers are households who use grocery coupons once a week or more.

Where are Coupon Clippers 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.

Another discovery in the analysis showed that grocery coupon clippers 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 and nutrition bars.

The demographic profile of the study illustrates that the appeal of coupons is wide-ranging. One of the most interesting points made was that those in a higher income bracket tend to be slightly more likely to clip grocery coupons. This has been noted in other studies even though it tends to go against what our common sense tells us.

Top Cities for Grocery Coupon Clipping Households

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Local Market Ranking:

Designated Market Area - Percent
• Milwaukee, WI - 40 percent
• Rochester, NY - 38 percent
• Pittsburgh, PA - 36 percent
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA - 36 percent
• Buffalo, NY - 36 percent
• Hartford/New Haven, CT - 36 percent
• Columbus, OH - 36 percent
• Toledo, OH - 36 percent
• Syracuse, NY - 35 percent
• Green Bay/Appleton, WI - 35 percent
• Cincinnati, OH - 35 percent
• AlbaNY - /Schenectady/Troy, NY - 34 percent
• Providence/New Bedford, RI - 34 percent
• Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN - 34 percent
• New York, NY - 33 percent
• Baltimore - 33 percent
• Harrisburg/Lancaster/ Lebanon/York, PA - 33 percent
• Orlando/Daytona Beach/Melbourne, FL - 33 percent
• Philadelphia, PA - 32 percent
• Tampa/St.Petersburg, FL - 32 percent
• Indianapolis, IN - 32 percent
• Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, MI - 31 percent
• Boston, MA - 31 percent
• Knoxville, TN - 31 percent
• Dayton, OH - 30 percent
• Charlotte, NC - 30 percent
• Louisville, KY - 30 percent
• RI - chmond/Petersburg, VA - 30 percent
• Chicago, IL - 30 percent
• Cleveland/Akron, OH - 30 percent
• Detroit, MI - 30 percent
• Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, NC - 28 percent
• Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA - 28 percent
• San Antonio, TX - 28 percent
• Norfolk/Portsmouth/Newport News, VA - 28 percent
• Jacksonville. FL - 28 percent
• Miami/Ft.Lauderdale, FL - 28 percent
• Flint/Saginaw/Bay City, MI - 27 percent
• West Palm Beach/Fort Pierce, FL - 27 percent
• Portland, OR - 27 percent
• Des Moines/Ames, IA - 27 percent
• Fort Myers/Naples, FL - 27 percent
• Tucson, AZ - 27 percent
• Washington, D.C. - 27 percent
• Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville/Anderson, SC - 26 percent
• Kansas City, MO - 26 percent
• Memphis, TN - 26 percent
• Nashville, TN - 26 percent
• Raleigh/Durham, NC - 26 percent
• Phoenix, AZ - 26 percent
• Los Angeles, CA - 25 percent
• St. Louis, MO - 25 percent
• Dallas/Fort Worth, TX - 25 percent
• Las Vegas, NV - 25 percent
• Houston, TX - 25 percent
• Charleston/Huntington, WV - 24 percent
• San Diego, CA - 23 percent
• Seattle/Tacoma, WA - 23 percent
• Lexington, KY - 23 percent
• Denver, CO - 23 percent
• Wichita/Hutchinson, KS - 23 percent
• Atlanta, GA 22 percent
• Birmingham, AL - 21 percent
• Honolulu, HI 21 - percent
• Austin, TX - 20 percent
• Colorado Springs/Pueblo, CO - 20 percent
• Spokane, WA - 20 percent
• Little Rock/Pine Bluff, AR - 20 percent
• Oklahoma City, OK - 19 percent
• Chattanooga, TN - 19 percent
• Tulsa, OK - 19 percent
• Mobile, AL/Pensacola, FL - 18 percent
• Salt Lake City, UT - 17 percent
• Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, CA - 17 percent
• Bakersfield, CA - 16 percent
• San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, CA - 16 percent
• Fresno/Visalia, CA - 15 percent
• El PA - so, TX - 15 percent
• Albuquerque/Santa Fe, NM - 14 percent

See Also: Where to Find Coupons

Source: Scarborough Research.
Note: All local market is based on DMA, or Designated Market Area, which is a trademark of Nielsen Media Research.

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