We Are a Coupon Nation

AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- RetailMeNot (www.retailmenot.com), a leading digital offers destination that helps consumers save money, today announced the latest edition of its Shoppers Trend Report, which revealed that nearly all Americans (96%) are coupon users.

According to data from the survey, conducted in conjunction with The Omnibus Company (www.omnibus.com), the number of Americans who rely mostly on mobile coupons has been steadily increasing over the past few years (15% in 2014 vs. 10% in 2013 vs. 4% in 2010). This consumer behavior coincides with retailers and brands moving their marketing promotions to more mobile and digital formats. In May 2014 retail executives were polled in a separate survey, also conducted by The Omnibus Company, which found that 75% of retailers believe digital advertising delivers a higher ROI than offline advertising, including circulars and direct mail. 

In short, more retailers than ever are looking to digital promotions, (coupons included).

"September is the official start of National Coupon Month. It's a reminder that we are a frugal nation that likes to save money when we shop," says Trae Bodge, senior lifestyle editor for The Real Deal by RetailMeNot. "We are excited to release our findings, based on millions of offer clicks on RetailMeNot, on the top cities that save using coupons and other promotions. Additionally, our survey findings show how a consumer's mobile phone is becoming a key device within their savings tool kit as millions of shoppers increasingly take advantage of digital offers, promotions and sales opportunities."

Cultural Impact of Coupons

Based on the level of coupon click activity in ratio with each city's population, the Northeast is the clear winner, with the New York, Boston and Philadelphia areas topping the list of the most active coupon users in America. Western communities appear to lag in their savings activity, with the Las Vegas, Phoenix and Denver areas representing the bottom of the active-coupon-user list. In fact, the New York, Boston and Philadelphia areas appear to be four times more active than the Denver area at couponing.

Westerners, listen up! You could learn a lot from your frugal East Coast counterparts, especially with the holidays on the horizon. As of August, 33% of survey respondents had already started their winter holiday shopping. Looking for offers can help put more money back in your wallets—especially when using savings tools like the RetailMeNot app, available for free on iPhone and Android devices.

Top Cities and Surrounding Areas That Save Based on Click Activity:

1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro
2. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro
3. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro
4. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT Metro
5. Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metro
6. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metro
7. Pittsburgh, PA Metro
8. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro
9. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metro
10. Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY Metro

Access the complete list of the top 50 coupon cities by DMA. 

In the top 10 active couponing cities, clothing and food categories ranked consistently at the top for click activity, followed by electronics and home and garden.

Deals That Matter

According to the survey deep discounts aren't the only deals that shoppers appreciate, as more than 2 in 5 (43%) coupon users consider discounts up to 25% to be a good deal.

What kind of deals are consumers asking for? Respondents are most interested in deals that offer a specific dollar amount off of their purchase (30%).

The survey also shows that interest in different types of deals varies by region.

• Coupon users living in the Northeast are more likely than those living in other regions to be most interested in receiving a specific percentage off a purchase (28% vs. 18% of the rest of the country).
• Those living in the South are more likely than those living elsewhere (26% vs. 15% of the rest of the country) to be most interested in "buy one, get one free" deals.

Gettin' Digital With It

The study found that over the past four years, the use of printable coupons has declined quite significantly (58% in 2014 vs. 73% in 2010). However, digital coupon usage has increased substantially as the world has gone more digital with online (27% in 2014 vs. 16% in 2010) and mobile (15% in 2014 vs. 4% in 2010) coupon usage both up considerably since 2010. Other findings from the survey include:

• Connected ladies: Online coupon usage for females has more than doubled in the last four years (25% in 2014 vs. 11% in 2010)
• Recycle it! Printable coupon usage for 18- to 34-year-olds dropped significantly in the past four years (40% in 2014 vs. 57% in 2010)
• Wired seniors: Online coupon usage nearly tripled for those ages 50+ over the past four years (18% in 2014 vs. 7% in 2010)

What's more, in an August 2014 commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of RetailMeNot, entitled "The State of Digital Coupons," an overwhelming 59% of respondents stated that out of all the different types of promotions a retailer can employ, digital coupons still sway them the most when it comes to influencing a purchasing decision. The study also found that 63% of respondents agreed that digital coupons "close the deal" for them when undecided on a purchase. Once a consumer receives a digital coupon, most are redeemed within several days. Other survey findings from the study:

• 91% of desktop users redeem a digital coupon within several days
• More than 90% of smartphone and tablet users redeem their digital coupons within several days
• Nearly one-third of coupons on smartphones or tablets are redeemed immediately
• Nearly 30% of consumers used a digital coupon immediately upon receiving the offer

Retailer Impact

Digital coupons continue to positively affect brand and loyalty. In the Forrester study mentioned above, nearly 7 in 10 consumers (68%) said they strongly believe that digital coupons have a positive impact on a retailer's brand, and 68% also state that coupons generate loyalty.

Similarly, digital coupons increase the potential for conversion when consumers are in the cart-and-checkout phase of a purchase, and they play a key role in combatting shopping cart abandonment.

Report Methodologies
The Omnibus surveys were conducted between August 6 and 11, 2014, and July 24 and July 31, 2013, among 1,007 and 1,067 U.S. residents ages 18 and over, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the entire U.S. population ages 18 and over. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. In these particular studies, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 and 3 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample. The margin of error for any subgroups will be slightly higher.

The internal data reported the RetailMeNot click behavior normalized by Nielson population data for the top 50 regions by population size. The date range was taken between August 1, 2013, and August 1, 2014, and the platforms used were desktop and mobile Web.

Forrester conducted an online survey of 500 U.S. consumers who use digital coupons found on computers, tablets and smartphones to evaluate digital coupon behaviors and attitudes on various devices. Survey participants had all used at least one digital coupon, offer, or online promotion code within the past three months. The study began in May 2014 and was completed in June 2014.

About RetailMeNot, Inc.
RetailMeNot, Inc. (http://www.retailmenot.com/corp/) operates the world's largest marketplace for digital offers. The company enables consumers across the globe to find hundreds of thousands of digital offers from their favorite retailers and brands. During the 12 months ended June 30, 2014, RetailMeNot, Inc. experienced more than 625 million visits to its websites. In 2013, RetailMeNot estimates $3.5 billion in its paid retailer sales were attributable to consumer traffic from digital offers in its marketplace. Its mobile apps have been downloaded over 18.5 million times. The RetailMeNot, Inc. portfolio includes RetailMeNot.com, the largest digital offer marketplace in the United States; RetailMeNot.ca in Canada; VoucherCodes.co.uk, the largest digital offers marketplace in the United Kingdom; Deals.com in Germany; Actiepagina.nl, a leading digital offers site in the Netherlands; Bons-de-Reduction.com and Ma-Reduc.com, leading digital offers sites in France; Poulpeo.com, a leading digital offers site with cash back in France; and Deals2Buy.com, a leading digital offers site in North America. RetailMeNot, Inc. is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol "SALE." Investors interested in learning more about the company can visit http://investor.retailmenot.com.​

About RetailMeNot.com 
RetailMeNot.com (http://www.retailmenot.com) is a leading digital offers destination that helps consumers save money. Since November 2006, our users have shared hundreds of thousands of offers from retailers. These offers are voted on by users, ensuring that quality deals rise to the top and those that are expired drop down the list. RetailMeNot.com is operated by RetailMeNot, Inc., the world's largest marketplace for digital offers. Consumers can save more at their favorite stores by downloading the RetailMeNot App at http://www.retailmenot.com/blog/rmn-whats-new.html.

We're out to save the world (some money).™ Consumers can follow RetailMeNot on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ by visiting http://www.retailmenot.com/corp/websites. 

Media contacts:

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SOURCE RetailMeNot