In 1888, Coca-Cola published the very first coupon in the United States. The most recent coupon statistics show that they have become a well-known marketing tool.

While consumers embrace coupons because they are easy to use and help them save money, businesses use them to increase brand awareness and reward customer loyalty.

Check out all the essential coupon market statistics and trends below to learn more about how and why they’ve remained important over the years to both businesses and their consumers.

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  1. Survey data from Vericast says 71% of consumers use digital coupons.
  2. 55% of consumers said they use both digital and paper coupons, but 53% of consumers expressed a desire for all coupons to be digital.
  3. In 2017, 60 million of the approximately 293 billion coupons handed out were digital coupons.
  4. The top reason people use coupons is to save money, followed by convenience.
  5. 48% of US millennials say they prefer to receive coupons via email.
  6. Digital coupon redemption is projected to rise by 94% by 2022.

Digital coupon usage statistics

Coupons are still very much in use, and it does not look like that will change anytime soon. However, digital coupons are recently gaining ground, albeit traditional paper coupons are still more prevalent.

  • Survey data from Vericast says 71% of consumers use digital coupons.
  • 55% of consumers said they use both digital and paper coupons, but 53% of consumers expressed a desire for all coupons to be digital.
  • 63% of consumers would increase the number of coupons used if the offers were available online.
  • According to Juniper Research statistics, $47 billion worth of digital coupons were redeemed in 2017.
  • In 2017, 60 million of the approximately 293 billion coupons handed out were digital coupons.
  • 41% of customers saved an average of $30 per week using these coupons.

According to figures from the coupon industry, there were 293 billion distributed coupons in 2017, a 1.2% decrease from 2016. About 60 million digital and 271 billion printed coupons were given in 2017. Only 2 billion coupons were actually used, saving an average of $30 per week for customers.

  • More than 36.5% of American brands introduced mobile coupons in 2014.
  • There was an 11.5% increase in the number of businesses using mobile coupons in the US between 2014 and 2017.

United States companies frequently use mobile coupons as a marketing strategy, and the number keeps growing.

While a little over 36.5% of American brands started using mobile coupons in 2014, the most recent statistics showed that by 2017, this share had increased to 48%, signifying an 11.5% rise.

  • There is around $470 billion worth of packaged consumer goods coupons distributed in the United States.
  • Shoppers saved around $3.6 billion on packaged consumer goods through coupons.
  • In 2019, 92% of United States shoppers used coupons more than once.

The percentage of shoppers who used coupons was 90 and 94 in 2017 and 2018, respectively, showing usage consistency. Among the 92% of individuals who used coupons in 2019, 45% said they did it frequently or always. Just 8% of respondents said they never used coupons when they shop.

Which group uses more digital coupons?

Digital coupon statistics have shown that online shoppers are more proficient at using coupons than in-store customers.

  1. Almost 65% of online consumers always or frequently use coupons. Only 45% of all shoppers act in the same way.
  2. Compared to only 50% of shoppers, 59% of grocery shoppers who shop online choose paper coupons.
  3. 60% of online customers load digital coupons onto their frequent shopper cards and loyalty. Only 40% of customers overall act in the same way.
  4. Younger parents tend to hunt for and use coupons more than other shoppers.
Digital coupons use by generation

According to Valassis’ statistics on coupon redemption, younger parents are the category most inclined to look for and use coupons. 69% of younger parents do this to prepare for grocery shopping using printed coupons.

We follow the same routine when finding coupons and adding digital coupons to loyalty cards. In these groups, younger parents reported doing these two things as they get ready for grocery shopping 68% and 67% of the time, respectively.

Why businesses and consumers use coupons

  • According to statistics from a Vericast survey, the top reason peopSurvey data from Vericast says 71% of consumers use digital coupons.le use coupons is to save money, followed by convenience.

The survey revealed that irrespective of the medium or platform through which people get coupons, what matters most for them is the value they get and the ease of usage.

  • 63% of consumers say using coupons makes them feel like smart shoppers.
  • Almost 90% of shoppers state that using coupons helps them save a lot of money.

One of the less unexpected coupon facts is that 89% of consumers save a significant amount of money by using them. In fact, 86% of consumers base their brand decisions on coupon availability. Furthermore, 45% of younger parents and 42% of internet grocery shoppers would use coupons more frequently if coupons were more widely acknowledged.

  • 61% of consumers are more likely to purchase a product if they receive messages about discounts from them.
  • The inability to use coupons deters one-fourth of buyers from making purchases online.

According to coupon trends, approximately 25% of supermarket customers skip internet purchases because they cannot use coupons to get better deals. When choosing between in-store and online shopping, customers are also impacted by the inability to make the most of in-store deals.

  • Approximately 69% of consumers base their decision on whether they can use digital coupons when shopping for groceries.

How consumers love to receive and use digital coupons

  1. 51% prefer to receive coupons on their smartphone or mobile device, which is a 6% rise from 2019.
  2. About 44% and 42% are okay with receiving paperless discounts and newspaper coupons on their loyalty cards, respectively.
  3. 38% of consumers love to have paperless coupons on cell phones, and 34% like internet-based printable coupons.

Mailed coupons are still the most widely used, with 50% of shoppers favoring them in 2019, but digital coupons are doing well too. Customers are discovering numerous methods of using digital coupons, including getting them on loyalty cards, cell phones, and even printable formats.

Probably because of ease and familiarity, mailed coupons are still the most popular. It may also be related to the prevalence of in-store purchases.

  • 48% of US millennials say they prefer to receive coupons via email. 20% prefer mobile apps, while 12% like text messages. 9% and 6% prefer postal mail and social media, respectively.
Methods preferred for receiving digital coupons
  • In America, the most popular coupon category is household items, with 46% looking for this type during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.

Other standard categories of coupons among Americans included groceries (40%), restaurants (41%), and electronics (37%). Shoppers also looked for coupons in health, beauty, and clothing at 23%, 24%, and 35%, respectively.

Most searched digital coupons
  • 82% of consumers redeem the offer within a week, and 30% do so in less than 24 hours after receiving the offer.
  • 43% of shoppers forget to redeem digital coupons at checkout.

The future of digital coupon usage

  • In 2021, more than 145 million Americans were projected to use digital coupons.

In 2015, users of digital coupons in the United States totaled 119.8 million. Over time, this number increased, exceeding 126 million in 2016 and 131 million in 2017.

According to coupon statistics, the growing trend persisted in 2020, when about 142.2 million Americans used coupons. The coupon market continued to grow during the year, and by 2021, 145.3 million people are expected to use it.

Digital coupon users in US
  • Digital coupon redemption is projected to rise by 94% by 2023.
  • Total coupon redemptions will amount to more than $91 billion by 2023. These forecasts indicate a remarkable five-year growth of 93.61%.

Conclusion

These digital coupon statistics reveal that coupons are still an effective marketing strategy with a gradual shift toward digital coupons.

As long as coupons help consumers save money, they are here to stay, even if we may witness a change in how consumers receive and use them. This also means businesses must change strategies to make them more accessible.

Growing trends hint at the continuous acceptance of digital coupons, as it affords more ease, which we expect to be the case. For now, combining traditional and digital coupons seems like the most effective strategy, whether you’re a business owner hoping to attract new clients or a consumer seeking a great deal.

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