The Internet is quickly becoming a major channel for distributing coupons.

In 2009, eighty percent of online coupon mailings garnered higher transaction-to-click rates and transaction rates than the non-coupon campaigns, reveals Experian Marketing Services.

Although the report covers North America in particular, it does show us in Asia that understanding why consumers use coupons and where they are using them most helps marketers better align offers and increase revenue.

Key findings from the studies include:

  • Two-thirds of American households use coupons, with the vast majority of them (87 percent) used to save money and 30 percent used to try a new product or service.
  • Seventy percent of coupon-using households obtain their coupons from newspapers. However, the Internet is a growing coupon source. Over the last three years, the number of households that get their coupons online has increased by 46 percent.
  • Nearly half of all American households use coupons to buy food/grocery products, making them the most common items purchased with coupons, followed by cleaning products and beauty/grooming products.
  • More households are now using coupons at restaurants/fast food chains. Compared to 2006, there are now 9 percent more households redeeming coupons at restaurants.
  • Click rates trended higher for coupon emails, with average lifts of 17 percent for coupons redeemable online and 24 percent for coupons redeemable in-store.
  • Eighty percent of online coupon mailings garnered higher transaction-to-click rates and transaction rates than the non-coupon campaigns. Of this group, 78 percent also had higher revenue per email.

“For marketers, the data behind our coupon study further validates how email coupons can and should be used to engage customers and drive traffic and sales to other channels. Understanding the purchase drivers and triggers along with the channel preferences of unique customers is an essential element in building loyalty and engagement.

Today’s consumers are multi-channel and marketers that acknowledge this will see greater return on their marketing spend,” states Matt Seeley, president of Experian Marketing Services’ Platforms division.