Coupons, Print and Online

September is National Coupon Month. Coupons have traditionally been a common and effective sales promotion technique. At Affinity Express, we often create coupons for our clients, for print or for online use.

Some coupons are handed out to the customer at the checkout counter, to encourage future visits

Companies often put in a coupon within another piece of communication, like an ad, a flyer, or a mass-mailed letter, to encourage you to take that final step and buy the product(s) that is the subject of the communication.

Our clients often want one or more coupons within an ad, whether print or online

Despite the omnipresence of online marketing, print coupons continue to flourish.

According to Experian Simmons, users of print coupons obtained from newspapers, magazines, mail, etc. outnumber users of digital coupons by a margin of almost 3-to-1. As of February 14, 2011 (the latest date for which data was available at the time of this post), 68% of all U.S. adults said their household uses print coupons, a number that has remained relatively unchanged during the past five years.

A print flyer will also often have a coupon in it

In fact, the growth of online coupon sites such as RedPlum has helped to extend the popularity of coupons with the younger generation: young people who disdain print media can still use coupons and coupon codes for both online and offline purchases.

If the attractive ad isn't enough to make you buy, maybe the coupon will help

The act of clipping coupons for use has, in fact, come to be seen as an activity that is frugal and responsible: qualities that have come to be valued more since the start of the recession. A recent RedPlum survey revealed that most shoppers would continue to use coupons even if they won the lottery. The survey also revealed that both print and online coupons are used, and that newspapers are the primary source of coupons for three-fourths of respondents.