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I read and interesting article in Website Magazine about the age of digital couponing here’s a preview of the actual article and some extra links if you think that coupons are a fit for your company.

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Coupons are experiencing a renaissance. Shoppers are on the prowl for savings, and merchants are responding online. Electronic coupons have the capability to deliver significant savings to consumers when, where and in the format they need them — including the Web, e-mail or any mobile device. The amount of Internet print-at-home coupon distribution is climbing; up 41 percent from last year according to Nielson Clearinghouse, and comparable to the number of offers in a Sunday newspaper. “In 2009, consumers printed $313 million in savings from Coupons.com,” explains Patrick Crisp, senior director of communications for Coupons.com.

Coupons by the Numbers
Traditional grocery items and packaged goods have represented the majority of online coupons. But today, retailers, restaurants, car rental and entertainment providers, among others, are battling for the consumer’s tightly held wallet. Simmons Market Research Bureau claims that more than 40 million people in the U.S. use online coupons to generate substantial savings and the number of shoppers who adopt online coupons will multiply. Also according to Simmons:

• Today’s e-coupon users skew to a younger, wealthier crowd with larger households that appear less likely to subscribe to the traditional, print newspaper and clip coupons.

• Factors impacting the growth of Internet print-at-home coupons include the convenience of browsing on a twenty-four-hour, year-round basis, the increase of users with Internet access, and the decline of newspapers.

According to the Harris Interactive Poll 2009, coupons are the deciding factor in the purchases of a growing number of consumers. • At 41 percent, the 35-44 age group is the largest segment to use handheld devices or websites to find deals when shopping online. • Nearly one-third of households with children use coupon websites. • Thirty percent of adults will not purchase from an online store without a coupon, a 27 percent jump from 2008. When an online coupon is not available, 22 percent of adults will go to a different store to make the purchase, while eight percent will wait until a coupon is available to make the purchase.

Read the rest of the article here

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Here are 5 of the most popular coupon sites according to Website Magazine:

Coupons.com (14.6 million): Far and away the most visited coupon website. In 2009, $300 million worth of coupons were printed and that number is expected to triple by the end of next year.

RetailMeNot.com (9.9 million): From modest beginnings, RetailMeNot has nearly doubled in usage since late 2008.

CouponCabin.com (3.4 million): CouponCabin features discounts available online, printable coupons and localized offerings. They also (along with Coupons.com) offer an iPhone app for even greater exposure for merchants.

FatWallet.com (2.1 million): One of the industry’s pioneers, FatWallet.com started in 1999 and includes more than 800 merchants.

DealCatcher.com (1.3 million): While not the largest coupon site out there, DealCatcher does a good job highlighting techoriented and consumer products, along with a recently released grocery section.

A few extras:

www.nowthatmakescents.com – a blog owned and operated by Carroll Partners matching up coupons and deals weekly to get the most for your money!

www.smartsource.com – That’s right smartsource like the inserts you get in the newspaper.
www.redplum.com – Another one known for the paper inserts but they have great online deals as well.

• Why is it important to have a facebook page for your business?
• What is it?
• How does it work?
• Why should my business have one?

These are just a few questions that I wanted answered before starting my pages on facebook.  I did research all around the web and here’s what I’ve found.

Why is it important to have a facebook page for your business? It’s a great way to communicate with your “fans/customers” and you can easily (and without cost) gain new customers with just a click of a few buttons.  Also, is an easy way for friends to spread the word for you…word of mouth is still number one this is just a new form of “word of mouth” Read more →