• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, April 1, 2009

Half (51%) of 18 to 24 year olds say they would be very likely to use online coupons, compared to about 40% of those in most other age groups, according to a new study from Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) and Platform-A, AOL's digital advertising unit.

Younger couples -- those without children, followed by those with younger children -- are among the most likely of all to use online coupons, the study found.

Newspaper coupons remain dominant among consumers overall, with 78% or 90 million -- including 68% of those 18 to 24 and 71% of those 25 to 34 -- reporting that they currently use newspaper coupons.

But 40 million, or nearly four out of 10 consumers, indicated high receptivity to using online coupons.

Use of newspaper coupons rises with age, while receptivity to online coupons shows some decline. Newspaper coupon usage is at 78% among 35 to 44 year olds, rising steadily to reach 83% among the 65+ segment. High receptivity to online coupons was at 41% among those age 35 to 54, 37% among those 55 to 64, and 30% among the oldest segment.

In addition to the young's greater time spent online, the coupon patterns reflect a decline in younger consumers' readership of Sunday newspapers that carry coupon FSIs, the researchers point out. MRI data showed readership among 18- to-34-year-olds at 24% as of 2008, and readership among 35- to-44-year-olds at 19% -- declines of 12% and 18%, respectively, since 2003.

In contrast, despite overall declines in newspaper readership in recent years, Sunday newspaper readership among older groups has increased since 2003, according to MRI. Sunday readership rose 4% among the 45 to 54 group, 20% among those 55 to 65, and 10% among those 65+.

J.P. Beauchamp, SVP, IRI Consumer & Shopper Insights, noted that the results of the new couponing study suggest that CPGs have an opportunity to build loyalty with younger consumers, in particular, with coupons delivered online during this tough economic time.