According to a new eMarketer “quick stat,” it is estimated that 2011 will deliver on a massive scale in terms of the growing number of Americans utilizing digital coupons.
eMarketer predicts that approximately 50% of all adult internet users in the United States – roughly 88 million people – “will have redeemed an online coupon or code for use either online or offline in the past year.”
And eMarketer sees only continued growth in the coming years. 88 million online coupon redeemers will become nearly 100 million by 2013, eMarketer projects.
“Consumer brands are accustomed to promoting their products in stores and in newspaper inserts,” says Jeffrey Grau, eMarketer principal analyst. “But as more shoppers make purchase decisions online before taking a shopping trip, brands are following them onto the internet.”
Although digital coupon-clipping is about to reach a fever pitch before likely leveling off in the US, slow but consistent growth in the realm of online coupons has been observed since 2005. Experian Simmons reported that a mere 12% of US households redeemed digital coupons in ’05. That figure should spike to almost 22% by the end of 2011.
“Today’s online coupon users tend to be affluent, highly educated and over the age of 55,” Grau adds. “This is valuable input for marketers shaping the different elements of a promotional campaign, such as what products to promote with coupons, where to place the offers and what marketing messages to use.”
