There’s a wideheld opinion that coupons are passé but research and consumer actions say differently. Let us prove the point so you can rethink your marketing strategies by including coupons whether they’re print or digital. A new report from Juniper Research in the UK says there will be more than 1.05 billion mobile coupon users by 2019, nearly double the number of current users. Digital flyer app Flipp launches new coupon matching feature promising bitter local search and better deals for consumers. This August, just three years after launch, US retail cashback app Ibotta had returned more than $30 million in cashback to members. As of December 16, this figure has now already grown to an impressive $46 million.
Fetch Rewards is one of several new digital mobile apps seeking to disrupt grocery shopping. Speaking of “misunderstood”, Rich Williams, new CEO of Groupon lays out the reasons why he thinks the company has a bright future and great offers ahead. According to Brogan.com, the average household may be enrolled in 29 programs, but only active in 12. Which leads us to the question: how can brands create a reward program delivers a strong ROI? The town of Coupon, Pennsylvania, was the site of a fun RetailMeNot holiday promotion where the company bought gifts from local retailers to give to local residents. Very imaginative and very much in the Christmas spirit!hello
Mobile Coupon Users to Pass 1 Billion by 2019, Juniper Research Finds
A new report from Juniper Research has found that there will be 1.05 billion mobile coupon users by 2019, up from just under 560 million this year. The report – Mobile Coupons: Consumer Engagement, Loyalty & Redemption Strategies 2014-2019 – claimed that the surge in user numbers would in large part be driven by increased retailer engagement with the various mobile channels. It stated that retailers were now integrating coupons into loyalty programmes to a far greater extent, while focusing on delivering coupons direct to consumers rather than relying on aggregator sites.
At the same time, the report observed that mobile coupon deployments were benefitting from retailers restructuring their businesses to reflect the wider transition to the utilisation of online engagement channels. It noted those businesses are becoming more agile, more efficient and able to implement change more rapidly than would have previously been the case.
HCE & Beacon to Boost Coupon Growth
Meanwhile, the report argued that while the use of MMS for couponing was expected to cease, disruptive technologies such as NFC (Near Field Communications) and Beacon had the potential to boost in-store engagement in the medium term. Via juniperresearch.com
Toronto-based digital flyer app Flipp launches new coupon matching feature
The free flyer and coupon listing app, which first appeared around two years ago, gives its users the ability to find sale items online at over 800 local retailers via digital versions of standard paper flyers, all based on people’s physical GPS location. This means that if pricing deals differ between various cities, Flipp 3.0 will display the correct pricing for every region and store information for each individual location.
The latest version of the app, Flipp 3.0, allows consumers to coupon match deals from local store flyers featured within the application, creating additional savings for the app’s user base, and is also the new version of Flipp’s most significant draw. This feature also allows users to search through various coupons and sort them by brand and category, making hunting down the two for one deal on Gain laundry detergent you remember seeing earlier in the week, significantly easier.
While a relatively simple concept, Flipp offers a straightforward, stripped down experience with a single use case that makes sense – saving people money through an easy to use smartphone application. After downloading the app, all users need to do is input their postal code and digital flyers, as well as coupons (and now with matching capabilities) will be displayed instantly. Via mobilesyrup.com
Ibotta Reaches $30 Million in Cash Rebates Paid to Shoppers
Ibotta Inc., the leading retail cashback app in the U.S., recently announced that users have earned over $30 million in rebates, a significant milestone for the 3-year-old Denver based startup. Ibotta delivered $10 million of the $30 million in cashback in the last four months alone. This accomplishment signifies how quickly Ibotta is growing, in addition to ongoing engagement and interest from their user base.
Ibotta enables consumers to earn cash back via their smartphones when they go shopping. This unique approach to couponing has clearly resonated with consumers, and Ibotta is experiencing rapid growth. In addition, Ibotta preserves the consumers’ freedom to choose what they buy with their unique Any Brand rebates, which provide cashback on the consumers’ choice of product. Via prnewswire.com
In digital era, grocery stores largely stay traditional
There are different ways digital technology has changed how some consumers shop. Take Fetch, for example: It’s a smartphone app that keeps a running tally of a shopper’s purchases and offers manufacturer coupons. “You don’t have to clip coupons — it’s automatically done,” said Tim Philosophos, an angel investor in Fetch Rewards. “And then (it) might present opportunities. Let’s say you’re buying sausages, you’re buying brats. It might tell you buns are on sale.”
Then there’s online shopping and delivery, something that’s actually been around for a while: The Illinois-based company Peapod has been doing it since 1989. However, there are disincentives for stores and companies to embrace online shopping. Philosophos said that while Peapod has stayed afloat, similar companies have gone bankrupt. The most notable example was a startup called Webvan, which Philosophos described as “the largest dot-com bust of all time.” Via newsobserver.com
Take It From the Town of Coupon: “It’s far better to give than to receive”
RetailMeNot (www.retailmenot.com), the largest marketplace for digital offers in the United States, announces the next phase of its #SaveItForward campaign designed to promote goodwill and benefit charitable causes this holiday season. With more than 500,000 digital coupons for 60,000 top retailers, restaurants and brands, RetailMeNot is known for helping consumers save money while shopping. With that in mind, the coupon-loving brand took its holiday campaign on the road to where else but Coupon, Pennsylvania.
In November, RetailMeNot decided to hit the road to spread some holiday cheer in Coupon as part of the #SaveItForward campaign. The plan was simple: Gift the hard-working residents of Coupon items from their holiday wish list. As it turned out, however, each resident insisted on helping a neighbor, friend or family member instead of listing off what they wanted for themselves. RetailMeNot quickly realized there was something special about Coupon: This little town, boasting a population of 73 and buried in the hills of Central Pennsylvania, embodies an altruistic spirit that binds the community. Via money.cnn.com
Is Groupon Misunderstood? It Probably is Under-Appreciated
Groupon is “misunderstood”; people haven’t updated their view of Groupon as a full blown marketplace rather than a “daily deals” company; and it actually is “the unquestionable leader in local.” All this per newly-elevated CEO Rich Williams, in a public letter.
“We have unprecedented experience in local, and what we believe is the right vision and strategy to make our goal of becoming the daily habit in local a reality,” says Williams, who has held executive ranks with Groupon for four years. While the company is going through many changes, “there are some very important things that are staying 100% the same: our mission to connect local commerce; and our vision to build the daily habit for local commerce, the marketplace where people discover and save on amazing things to eat, see, do and buy in their neighborhood. “ Via localonliner.com
Reward programs are here to stay, and here’s why.
It’s official. Reward programs have taken over. To date, 65 percent of marketers have implemented a brand loyalty program—offering customers points, prizes, money and miles for making purchases and engaging in certain experiences… and consumers love it. More than 60 percent of consumers say they would switch brands if they were incentivized, and 84 percent of consumers say they would spend more with retailers who offer such programs.
Given how influential a loyalty program can be, we’re not surprised U.S. consumers hold 3.3 billion memberships in them, or that the average American household has memberships in 29 programs. (Check your wallet. You could be holding onto almost 30 reward cards right now.)
Since 2012, there’s been a 26 percent increase in membership growth, but that’s not to say users are active in all programs they’re part of. While the average household may be enrolled in 29 programs… they’re only active in 12, which leads us to the question: how can brands create a reward program that’s more than just a piece of plastic on a keychain? Via brogan.com