• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, August 2, 2010

Coupons.com recently issued new data that shows digital coupons grew 100% during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2010, while free standing inserts in newspapers rose 8.4% for the same period. The data shows that more than $1 billion in digital coupon savings was printed or loaded to a store loyalty card via the Coupons.com network in the last 12 months, outpacing the growth of coupons distributed in newspapers 10 to 1.

 Growth is attributed to several key factors, including

• Continued consumer adoption of online printable, save to store, loyalty card and mobile coupons
• Increased use of digital coupons by brand marketers, manufacturers and retailers

Steven Boal, CEO of Coupons.com Incorporated,  "... more and more (consumers) are tapping digital coupons as an important part of their savings strategy...  we foresee substantial growth across the entire digital domain... with particular growth within social media and mobile environments."

   According to research from NCH Marketing Services, the Internet was the fastest growing distribution vehicle for coupons during the first half of 2010,  indicating increased adoption by brand marketers. In addition, according to the most recently available redemption data from NCH, the Internet coupon category outperformed other types of coupons with regards to share of redemptions to percent of coupons distributed,making it the most effective coupon method for marketers.

  Representing 20.8% of the U.S. population, 46.4 million American consumers are now using online coupons, up from 40.2 million in 2008. Of the 46.4 million online coupon users, 12.9 million do not read any part of the Sunday newspaper, an 18% increase over 10.9 million in 2008, says the report.

 Searches on Google for "Printable Coupons" increased 67% over a year ago.In addition, consumers are sharing coupons within their networks and brands are using them to entice and reward followers. In a report by Razorfish, the number one reason consumers followed a brand on Twitter or liked a brand on Facebook was access to exclusive deals or offers. 

 Research shows that even if economic conditions improve, 8 out of 10 U.S. adults plan to continue to engage in couponing activities. In addition, users of digital coupons have higher household incomes and are better educated than users of newspaper coupons and the general population, dispelling the perceived low-brow stigma of couponing.

  Consumers who print digital coupons:

•  have an estimated average household income of $96,000, 14% higher income than the U.S average
• with household income of over $100,000 are twice as likely to have redeemed coupons printed from an online source than adults with household income less than $35,000.
• 33.4% have a college degree, compared to 28.9% who use newspaper coupons and 26.1% of the general populace
• with college degrees are almost twice as likely to have used coupons in the past six months as those who didn't graduate from high school

For the first half of 2010, Ready to Eat Cereal was the most popular category for both online printable and coupons accessed via mobile apps, and was the 7^th most popular category for coupons saved to loyalty cards. Dairy & Eggs was the top category for Save to Card coupons. The variance in the top categories for Save to Card coupons is attributed to the fact that brands geo-target campaigns to areas where local supermarkets carry their products. 

Georgia tops the list of most active states using digital coupons both via Web browsers and mobile apps. Based on the Coupons.com Savings Index. Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Utah round out the Top Five for states using digital coupons via a Web browser, while Oklahoma, Alaska, Missouri and Tennessee round out the Top Five for states using digital coupons via mobile apps. The states in the South and Midwest dominate the top ten spots on both lists.

Apparel & Shoes was by far the top category for codes and offers used to save on online purchases. Other top categories include Home & Garden, Toys & Hobbies and Computers & Software.

 In addition to the Coupons.com primary research results, additional data throughout the report was presented from: 

•  Kantar Media solutions
•  NCH Marketing Services, Inc.
• Simmons
• Google Insights for Search
•  Razorfish
•  Harris Interactive

For the complete press release and more information about the studies and the report, please visit coupons.com here.