• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, April 2, 2009

A new study shows that 34% of female consumers are using coupons more frequently today than they were six months ago, according to Burst Media, which surveyed about 4,500 women ages 18 years and older.

What's more, nearly 70% of respondents said they would print and redeem Internet coupon for products they would be interested in purchasing.

"The use of the Internet as a source for coupons has soared," said Chuck Moran, vice president of marketing for Burst Media. "The advantage of Internet coupons over their paper counterparts is that advertisers can more finely target their offers -- whether through content, geographic or even behavioral targeting."

While the Sunday newspaper is still the primary source of coupons for 29.2% of respondents, that percentage is down from 35.3% in 2002. Meanwhile, the survey revealed a substantial increase in the use of the Web for coupons -- rising from a 3.8% reading in 2002 to 16% today.

Other media cited as respondents' primary source of coupons included in-store circulars (14.9%), mail packs/direct mail (13.5%), weekday newspapers (8.3%), in-store dispensers (5.4%) and magazines (2.2%).

In addition, the survey found that Internet coupons are particularly effective in attracting female consumers' attention. Three-quarters (75.2%) of women ages 35-54 indicated they would print and redeem an Internet coupon, compared to 62.2% of women ages 18-34 and 67.7% of women age 55 and older.

The rise of the Web coupon only benefits marketers, Moran added. "The immediacy and ability to measure performance on the Internet allow marketers to run last-minute promotions and react to changing market conditions," he said.