Running With Coupons: Meet Today’s Value-Driven Customer

Results of a survey show people welcome offers across a wide variety of categories, feeling both rewarded and smart by the number of deals they receive each day.

Results from the recent “RedPlum Purse String Survey” of savings-savvy consumers made one thing especially clear: People welcome offers across a wide variety of categories, feeling both rewarded and smart by the number of deals they receive each day.

More than half of the nearly 9,000 respondents are spending at least two hours each week looking for coupons, deals, and savings—and that investment is paying off. On average, 42% said they tend to save more than $30 each week, and over 20% save more than $50 a week, primarily using these weekly savings to fund basic necessities. If we look at this per shopping trip, the majority of respondents use at least six coupons (nearly 30% use over 10 coupons) per occasion.

On-the-go consumers are increasingly trying to fit errands and grocery shopping into their busy days, looking for value across all purchases, regardless of the occasion or basket size. When asked about the types of grocery trips for which respondents used coupons, we expected that routine or stock-up trips would rank the highest (and they did, at 78% and 62%, respectively).

However, we also found that nearly half of respondents use coupons during their fill-in grocery trips (for missing items or last-minute needs), and 30% use coupons to help with immediate or instant-need grocery purchases. These findings support that coupon use among the value-seeking shopper is a ritual in and of itself. Especially when it comes to grocery purchases. Savvy savers use coupons whenever they need to make a purchase, not just for those routine, weekly stock-up visits to the store.

The research also revealed that consumers’ desire for savings extends beyond grocery purchases. In fact, they are interested in finding coupons, coupon codes, and deals for a wide assortment of categories. The top five categories include grocery, dining out/restaurants, cosmetics/beauty products, clothing, and household items.

In addition, this survey found that consumers are indeed using both print and digital sources to garner savings. In particular, when asked if they were doing specific activities more often since last year, 58% of respondents noted using more print coupons and 38% are using more mobile coupons.

Not surprisingly, the use of mobile devices for savings continues to grow. Shoppers are consistently looking for new ways to incorporate technology into their savings habits.

Consider the following:

• 55% of respondents have visited a store, restaurant, or other business after receiving an offer on their mobile devices when they were near that business location.
• 72% have looked for coupons or offers while in-store via their mobile devices.

And over the past 30 days, respondents have used their mobile devices in a variety of ways:

• 49% used a savings app (versus 36% in 2014).
• 44% downloaded a coupon to a loyalty card (versus 33% in 2014).
• 46% redeemed a coupon code (versus 33% in 2014).

As you can see, today’s value-seeking shoppers are multifaceted when it comes to savings, considering multiple categories, trip types, and media options for where those savings can be found and used.

For marketers, this means providing deals is just one piece of their strategy; they must also consider the various channels and ways shoppers are looking to engage. According to the data, consumer targeting requires an integrated approach with print, digital, and mobile all playing pivotal roles.

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