The Coupon Craze Continues

Whether they’re clipping them or printing them, consumers are hot for coupons right now in their quest to keep financially afloat in a choppy economy.

There’s been a plethora of reports out recently tracking the increasing use of coupons and the general consensus is that their use is up – on- and offline. At the end of last year, comScore found  the number of searches related to money-saving techniques had increased substantially. Searches containing the search term “coupon” rose 161% and the incidence of the word “discount” increased 26%.

Coupon use, often associated with a little old lady rifling through a stack of neatly clipped newspaper cuttings at the checkout, is now becoming more popular with younger generations as money-saving tools and techniques are increasingly offered via the Internet and mobile. According to a recent Platform-A/Information Resource Inc. study (.pdf), youngsters are more likely to use online coupons rather than source them from newspapers or flyers.

Most recently, Hearst Media is reported to be getting in on the coupon craze via a partnership with Coupons.com, reports Folio.com. The outcome will be the launch of a coupon gallery within a recently introduced section of foodie website, Delish.com. The aptly named “Coupons & Deals” section will contain recipes and information within which will be embedded links to coupons associated with an ingredient. Traffic will be bolstered by offers communicated via a weekly newsletter.

Hearst has been testing the scenario for some time. “Several months back we launched a test on QuickandSimple.com to see if consumers were interested at all in downloadable coupons, and within a few months customers had downloaded more than $100,000 worth of coupons,” said Hearst Magazines Digital Media VP, content and business development, Chris Johnson. “They are definitely pinched and looking for us to find ways to save some money and make great meals for their family.”

Hearst plans to extend the strategy to Redbookmag.com and GoodHousekeeping.com.