What’s New in the World of Couponing?Lori Scharmer, M.S., A.F.C. Extension Family Economic Specialist

North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota

August 2014

Don’t Buy Just Because You Have a Coupon!

Businesses provide coupons to entice the consumer to buy their products or shop in their stores. Coupons are a marketing tool. The goal is to get us to buy more from them. And guess what? It works! The coupon-using consumer spends more on groceries than the consumer who doesn’t use coupons because the coupon user buys more products.

Businesses spend a considerable amount of money researching how to get the consumer to buy more and buy their products. The marketers are very good at what they do. The businesses’ research tells them that if they provide coupons or discounts, the consumer will buy and spend more.

It is important is that we remember this when shopping with coupons. Be wise consumers and use coupons and discounts to your advantage. Buy items or services that you need or want, but don’t overbuy because you found a “good coupon.”

Couponing has long been a consumer’s way to save money in the marketplace. But today’s couponing has stepped it up and gone high tech. Smart consumers do not want to miss out on these savings. Coupons are available at our fingertips instantly and are easier than ever to use. We have more coupons at more businesses in more forms, from paper to online codes to smartphone apps. This is a new era of couponing fun!

One definition of couponing: the art of matching coupons with stores sales, rebates and other promotional offers to get the lowest possible price and stock up on much-needed supplies

Coupon LingoCatalina: Coupons that print out at the register after your sale is complete. This can be a separate coupon or it can be coupons printed on the back of the register tape. Businesses pay to have their information printed on the back of register tapes. The individual coupons that print out are targeted just for you and your buying history.

Peelie: A coupon that is stuck on a product. The consumer peels it off and uses it when purchasing that product.

Blinkie: A box sitting next to a product on the shelf that dispenses coupons for the product. These boxes often have a little light that blinks to attract the consumer; therefore, they are called Blinkies.

Hangtag: A coupon that is hung on a product. The consumer removes it and uses the coupon when purchasing that product.

Tearpad: Coupon pads in stores to promote products and encourage consumers to purchase that item with a coupon.

Stacking store coupons: Some stores allow consumers to use a store coupon with a manufacturer’s coupon. This is called stacking coupons. Although you never can use two manufacturer’s coupons on the same product, you can, in most stores, stack a store coupon with a manufacturer’s coupon.

Paper coupons still are the most popular, but their use is decreasing as digital couponing increases. We can get coupons online, through email, by text messages and through apps on our smartphones.

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New Ways of CouponingCouponing on the Web - A number of great couponing websites share tips about couponing, videos about couponing, where to find coupons and what’s new in couponing. Some even allow you to search for coupon deals. Many of these coupon websites also have coupon databases that continually are updating with new offers.

Printing online coupons - Many companies post their coupons online. You can search for them, print them or send them to your smartphone. Do you have a product you really like? Search the Web for a coupon when the item is on sale and you want to stock up. Just search, find and print. You may need to download a coupon printer program to ensure bar codes are printed correctly.

Coupons by email - Many companies will send you coupons by email. Actually, they would love to get your email address and send you regular promotions, advertisements and coupons. Beware, though. This promotional material can fill your inbox. Consider setting up a separate email account to share with businesses that want to send your promotions. Then you can keep your regular email account for the more important things.

Coupons by text message - Businesses invite you to sign up for coupons or discounts sent through text messaging. You can use the coupon that has been sent through a text message by presenting your phone at the checkout counter.

Coupon database online - This is a searchable listing of available coupons. Most couponing websites include a coupon database with new coupons continually being posted. For printable coupons, you will be directed to the site where you can print the coupon. If the coupon was printed in a circular, you will be told which circular it appeared in and when.

Coupon matchups - Matching a coupon with items that also are on sale can be a big win for the consumer. Some couponing websites have coupon matchups to do the work for you. For example, the website will provide weekly coupon matchups for a list of chosen businesses. You may want to look for a couponing website that does matchup for stores where you regularly shop.

Loyalty cards - Loyalty card programs are marketing tools that reward and encourage loyal buying behavior. The loyalty card, sometimes called a rewards card, points card, advantage card or club card, is a plastic or paper card that identifies the cardholder as a member of that store’s loyalty program. Cards typically have a barcode, magnetic stripe or chip that can be scanned easily. By presenting the card, the consumer may receive a discount on the current purchase or points that can be used for future purchases. Cardholders may receive coupons by mail, email or at the cash register.

Coupon apps for smartphones - Couponing apps allow the consumer to search for the coupons or browse categories to find the best offers available. Save coupons for later and access them from the mobile app when ready to shop. Simply show the coupon on the phone app at checkout to save. Many phone apps are available for couponing. The number of available couponing apps will continue to grow, and the apps will continue to improve. The consumer will need to do a little investigating to find the best one for his or her shopping habits. Read reviews, talk with friends and choose wisely.

Coupon rebate apps - Coupon rebate apps are another new way to use coupons. The app offers cash back for purchasing products listed on the app. Once you have purchased the product, you simply take a picture of your receipt showing your purchase of the item and start adding rebate money to your account. Rebate funds then can be withdrawn through a variety of methods.

Coupons and social media - Coupons even have come to social media. The marketers will go anywhere they can reach the consumer. You can choose to “like” or follow a restaurant, grocery store or company on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest and the business may post coupons, promotions and discounts for you to access.

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Who is Tracking our Spending Habits? Businesses offering coupons by phone apps, loyalty cards, email and text messaging are using them to track our spending habits. This allows them to target us with the coupons they think we will use. These businesses also know how to more closely market to us in hopes of getting us to spend more. If a consumer is uncomfortable with companies tracking his or her spending, she or she will want to avoid electronic couponing.

Bang for Your BuckIf our purpose in couponing is to get the most for our hard-earned money, here are a few tips to get the most bang for your buck:

n Sales generally run in 12-week cycles. So do coupons, so you can plan your coupons, shopping and stocking up around that cycle.

n Read the weekly sales ads and use coupons combined with sales for more savings.

n Shop at stores that double or even triple coupons.

n Use coupons to buy smaller-sized products to save even more. But use your good judgment. Larger packages generally are less expensive, but you can use only one coupon per item. Also consider the environmental waste of extra packaging that goes with multiple smaller sizes.

n Rain checks – If your store is out of the sale item, get a rain check. Then you can come back another day (usually no more than 30 days) and buy that item at the sale price by giving the cashier the rain check. This also gives you more time to gather coupons for the item. You still can use a coupon if you are using a rain check.

n Be careful you aren’t buying an item just because you have a coupon. You can eat up all of your couponing savings by purchasing things you don’t need or won’t use.

n Your time is valuable, so keep that in mind when couponing. Decide how much of your time you are willing to dedicate to couponing.

Coupon EtiquetteHere are a few etiquette rules for couponers:

n Do not photocopy. This is a very big no-no. You can print coupons, but you cannot photocopy coupons. This is against the law and is considered fraud. In most cases, you can print two coupons per computer. This is where SnipSnap is getting in trouble.

n Follow the instructions. Read the information on the coupons and follow it. For example, if the coupon says 50 cents off on two items, then buy two items.

n Have coupons ready at the checkout counter. Start with your coupons. When it’s your turn to step up to the register, the cashier will appreciate knowing you’re planning to use coupons.

n Be prepared and organized. Don’t hand the cashier a pile of coupons and expect him or her to sort them for you. Make sure you’ve removed any expired offers, and only give the cashier coupons for products you’re purchasing.

n Be polite when checking out. We want couponers to have a good reputation, so smile and treat the cashier with kindness. If you feel as though the cashier isn’t aware of certain coupon policies or isn’t applying them correctly, ask politely to speak with a manager.

n Time your coupon shopping trip. If you are using a large number of coupons, choose a time of day when the store isn’t super busy.

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SourcesCoupons in the News (Oct. 18, 2013). EXCLUSIVE: SnipSnap is Sued, Accused of Infringing Coupon Copyrights. Retrieved from http://couponsinthenews.com

Coupons.com Inc. (May 9, 2013). New Research Explores Attitudes and Behaviors of Digital Coupon Users. Retrieved from www.couponsinc.com

Couponing 101. Couponing 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Couponing. Retrieved from www.couponing101.com

Myers, A., and Englert, K. (July 2010). Couponing 101 Surviving an Economic Crunch [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from www2.ca.uky.edu/

Couponer’s Corner. Basic Couponing [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from www.couponerscorner.com/

Netzer, P. Coupon Clip It (2013) [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from author through email.

Groupon. About Groupon. Retrieved from www.groupon.com/press/about-groupon

Constant Contact. (Oct. 22, 2012). The 7 Redeeming Values of Coupons. Retrieved at https://community.constantcontact.com

Roueche, J., and Christensen, D. (2012). Cut it Out! Coupon Craze [PowerPoint slides]. Received from author through email.

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