Learn About Coupons
Coupons have been saving consumers money for over 100 years. Each year, manufacturers and retailers distribute over $267 billion worth of coupons! About 75% of American consumers use coupons when they shop. So where did coupons come from, and where are they going?

History

1894	Coupons are born! Asa Candler, the druggist who bought the formula for Coca-Cola for $2,300, gives out handwritten tickets for a free glass of his new fountain drink.
1895	Next stop, the local grocer! C.W. Post distributes the first grocery coupon worth one cent towards his new health cereal, Grape Nuts.
1930's	Coupons are a staple in American households because of the Depression. Everyone needs to save money wherever possible, and clipping coupons clips weekly grocery bills.	A Coca-Cola coupon from the Depression
1940's	Supermarkets sprout across the country and continue the coupon tradition that had begun in neighborhood groceries.
1957	The Nielsen Coupon Clearing House becomes the first clearinghouse devoted to coupon redemption. Coupons have created a new industry.
1965	One-half of Americans are now coupon users.
1972	Valassis revolutionizes the coupon industry by introducing the Co-op Free Standing Insert (FSI). By 2003, it will account for 87% of coupon distribution.	Early FSI coupons
1975	Coupon popularity continues to grow. Over 35 billion coupons are distributed and 65% of American households clip!
2002	Nearly 350 billion coupons are distributed, ten times the number of a generation ago. Shoppers save $3 billion dollars by redeeming 3.8 billion coupons.
2003	77% of consumers report using coupons, making it one of the most popular shopping activities in America.

Who Uses Coupons?
The majority of consumers in every age group say they use coupons at least some of the time when they shop. On average, 77% of consumers, or about 90 million households redeemed over 3.5 billion coupons and saved about 3 billion dollars on their purchases.

Consumer-Printed Coupons
The future of coupons is on the Internet. Consumers are going online to find coupons, which can be easily accessed through manufacturer and retailer Web sites or third-party coupon distribution sites. They enjoy the savings and 24/7 availability of coupons, resulting in increased product sales for manufacturers and retailers. Such a win-win scenario is driving more companies to integrate consumer-printed coupons into their overall marketing strategies.

Growing Popularity!

Over 200 million Americans are online and their numbers are increasing. Consumers have always enjoyed savings using coupons, and now they are going online to find them. One of the traditional ways to distribute coupons has been the Sunday newspapers, whose circulations are decreasing. The savings generated and the convenience of using consumer-printed coupons continues to draw an increasing user base. This is evidenced in the dramatic year-over-year increase in consumer-printed coupon distribution and redemption (365% & 134% respectively), despite a general decline in overall coupon distribution and redemption (-5.6% & -3.0% respectively). Not only are manufacturers aware of this trend but retailers are too. In a Supermarket News survey, 43% of retailers said they featured online coupons on their websites. Consumer-printed coupon users represent a very desirable audience for marketers. Internet users spend $120/week on groceries as compared to non-users who spend $104/week.

Sources:
PMA Coupon Council: http://www.couponmonth.com/pages/allabout.htm
CMS Trends 2004
NCH Marketing
Valassis Communications, Inc.
Coupons, Inc.
Scarborough Research, Multi Market Release 2, 2003 Database.