What is coupon?
In sales and marketing, a coupon is a simple ticket that can be redeemed for a rebate or financial discount when you are buying a product from online and offline retail stores.
Usually, coupons are being given by retailers or manufacturers of consumer package goods they are to be used in retail stores. Coupons remain a remarkable part of sales promotions. If you have always desired to buy your favorite products at highly reduced rates, then you need to start using coupons. You will never regret using coupons.
Coupons can be evenly distributed through the following channels:
- Email newsletter
- Social media
- Coupon envelopes
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- Mobile devices like cell phones etc
Coupons serve as a form of price discrimination which offers special discounts or lower price to those retailers that would ordinarily go elsewhere. Buyers who use coupons are assumed to be more price sensitive than others who do not.
Types of coupons
Manufacturer coupon
This is generally being given by manufacturers as a way of promoting their businesses or as a way of enticing customers to buy their goods and services. The best place to find a manufacturer coupon is in any of the Sunday coupon inserts.
Kindly check the Sunday coupon bulletins in your area. If you are a new subscriber, you can sign up for a newspaper subscription. So, make sure you check online to see if it is available in your area.
Store coupons
These types of coupons are generally issued by the store you want to buy from it is a way of wooing you to their store. Store coupons are used at specific stores. Most times they are stacked together with manufacturer coupons. So, when you want to buy from any store, feel free to check out the coupon policy there. This will help you to understand the available policy options.
Another important thing to remember is that most stores do accept ‘competitor coupons’ for the purpose of snatching business away from their competitors. They do this so as to inspire you to keep coming.
Blinkies
These coupons are usually found in little boxes hanging around or in front of the items they are meant for. If you come around those items, you may notice a little blink red light this is why it is known as ‘blinkies’. Blinklie coupons are available in many retail and grocery stores. Be on the lookout for them, this remain a way of keeping your kids busy while you shop.
Peelies
Peelie coupons are placed beside the products you want to buy. They are like a peel away sticker. If you see Peelie coupons on the product you want to buy, you can simply peel off the coupon and use them to shop immediately. Usually, Peelie coupon remains a manufacturer coupon.
Hangtags
Hangtags coupons are normally found on laundry soaps, oils, syrups, drinks and anything else. These coupon tags are usually hanged on anything that has a ‘neck’. It is called hangtags, because they are hanged at the ‘neck’ of the product you want to buy.
E-coupons
These are electronic coupons you can check them out on the internet. There are different ways of getting e-coupons online. If you find any e-coupon you want to use, you can easily download them into your shopper loyalty cards. If you browse through the internet, you will find out that so many shops around provide e-coupons to their customers such as Shoprite, Kroger and so on.
Internet printable coupons
You can find these types of coupons from coupon sites such as Redplum, smartSource, and coupons.com. Some are store coupons, while others are manufacturer coupons. Shoppers are allowed to print only 2 of such coupons in a month; as a shopper, you will not be eligible to use internet printable coupon from a particular store more than twice a month. Companies usually reset the coupons at the beginning of every month. Coupon lovers have links to all the popular coupons sites on the internet.
Tearpads
These types of coupons are available in many stores these are the pads you see on the products. They can be displayed anywhere in the store. You will see them mainly in retail and grocery stores. All you need to do is to ‘tear’ off the coupon and use them right away and/ or use them on your next purchase.
Discount coupons
Discount coupons work in any of the two ways. Monetary discount is the first, like giving you $100 off your next purchase. While percentage discount is the next this gives you about 50% discount on your next order. Discount coupons can be applied immediately to your order depending on the restrictions and language of the coupon.
Discount coupons remain a great way of saving on all the things you want to buy, whether you are buying for product category, a voucher for a product or the entire store.
Free shipping coupons
Many online stores provide free shipping as part of their services. While, some companies provide free shipping coupons to customers that bought specific volume of items. When you subscribe for a free shipping coupon, it means that it will take few days for the item to get to you depending on your location.
However, changing the shipping speed or cancelling the free shipping offer will entail that you will be liable for a shipping fee. You will never regret subscribing for a free shipping coupon you pay less and save big by using free shipping coupon.
Some of the circumstances in which you will save big includes if you are buying bulky and heavy items like rugs, large TVs, appliances, art work, weight sets, couches, workout machines etc.
Coupon codes
These are reference codes, which shoppers enter on a retail websites to receive special considerations like free shipping, discounts, special offers etc. Most web merchants usually have a place where their customers can enter the coupon code. It is like a password to savings, if you don’t use the coupon codes as exactly as you were instructed to do, then companies may not honor it.
Promotional codes
It is the same thing as coupon codes; the only difference between the two is the wording. Some websites call them coupon codes, while another will refer them as promo codes. But you don’t have to be confused, because they are all great ways of saving.
Two of them operate the same way all you need to do is to enter the code during checkout and you will receive the special offer or discount. Just like coupon codes, try as much as possible to use promo codes as a smart way of shopping.
Expiring coupons
Promo codes and coupons codes have their own expiration dates. Once an offer expires, that special discount will no longer be valid. If you get a coupon or promo code, make sure you use them before the expiration of the code ensure you complete your offer before the last day of the order. Check out the expiration date at all times. Savings.com also helps shoppers to fish out expired coupons.
Benefits of using Coupons
First, shoppers can use these coupons to buy products they have never seen before in a merchant website. Check out for new foods you want to try right now, and see if there are available coupons for them. Visit the manufacturer’s website right now, check if they have coupons and see a way of getting them.
Secondly, find out if the products you usually buy are available at deep discount prices. Some shoppers are happy to buy these staple foods using coupons, so that they won’t pay the full price.
Thirdly, you can easily track your savings by checking the amount of money you save by using your coupons to shop at retail and grocery stores. Sometimes, coupons remains a way of enticing you to keep buying items you need at slightly lower prices.
Fourthly, coupons can make you to buy emergency backup products which ordinarily you may not buy because their prices are high.
Conclusion
Coupons remain an amazing way of getting and attracting customers to come and buy the items you sell. If you are a merchant or manufacturer, you can promote your business using coupon deals or coupon codes. You can start by offering your customers 5% discount or telling them to buy one, and get one free.
Over the years, coupon has remained a credible and highly effective marketing tool, and gradually they have gained popularity and remarkable acceptance among marketing managers. The consuming public are eager to patronize any company that offers coupon services to them.
Over 70% of shoppers actively look for coupons. Coupons have the possibility of increasing your market area. Introducing coupon services in your business remain one of the great ways of outsmarting your competitors, re-activating old customers, and keep new customers coming.
Those customers that have been buying from your major competitors will start to buy from you. Then, as a shopper, using coupon deals remain a credible way of buying your desired items in retail and grocery stores at slightly lower rates.