• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, February 8, 2024

Almost all consumers like coupons. And they will do several things to receive them, including signing up for emails, according to Coupons, Discounts & Bogos Oh my! A study from ActiveCampaign, conducted by Ascend2.  

Of the shoppers polled, 77% prefer email as the channel for receiving ecommerce coupons, although 31% like SMS and 17% prefer social media.  

At 90%, people in the Boomer+ category are most likely to like email, versus 81% of Gen X, 72% of Millennials and 70% of Gen Z.  

Shoppers would take the following actions to receive a coupon from an online store:

• Subscribe to receive their promotional emails — 64% 
• Like them on social media — 47%
• Subscribe to receive promotional emails from their partner stores — 46% 
• Follow them on social media — 42%
• Share an offer from the online store with a friend — 39%
• Post and tag them on social media — 17% 

Consumers care most about:

• Prices — 80% 
• Product quality — 68%
• Product selection — 57% 
• Discounts offered — 42% 
• Shopping experience —  25% 
• Personalized features — 8%

What would persuade them to jump to a competitor? They cite:

• A coupon for 20% of my whole purchase—70% 
• Free shipping—63%
• A buy one, get one free offer—49%
• Product availability (unavailable elsewhere)—46%
• A coupon for 20% off one item—43% 
• Free returns—32%
• Nothing. I’m brand loyal—2% 

Consumers are savvy about the timing of deals — 70% waited for something to go on sale before purchasing in the last year. But don’t push them. 

What is a fair coupon expiration date? They say:

One week from receipt — 10%

One month from receipt — 52%

One year from receipt — 28%

Coupons should never expire — 11% 

Shoppers are most likely to use these types of coupons:

• Free shipping — 73% 
• % based discount —64%
• $ off offers — 62% 
• Buy one, get one free (BOGO) — 54% 
• Buy more to save more — 16% 

At 75%, Boomers+ (54-77) are more likely than other generations to switch for free shipping.  

Overall, 57% of shoppers visited one to five online stores in the past year, and 31% from six to 10. And 10% have gone to 11-25. 

Once on these sites, 47% have purchased 11-50 individual products, 24% from 51 to 200 and 22% from 11 to 50. 

But it depends on the generation. 

Among Boomers, 69% visited one to five online stores in the past year, and 22% visited between six to 10. Moreover, 50% bought from 11-50 individual products online in that timeframe. And 27% purchased from one to 10 and 19% from 51 to 200. 

Gen Z was even more active — 57% visited one to five online stores, and 35% visited six to 10.

In addition, 54% bought from 11 to 50 individual products and 27% from one to 10. Another 17% purchased 51-200 products. 

Ascend2 surveyed 1,044 consumers who have made an online purchase in the past 12 months. The survey was conducted in October 2023.