The coupon has been around for over 100 years. People have always been attracted by savings in one way or another. When a big company like Procter and Gamble or Kimberly Clark provides coupons on their consumer packaged goods, people race to grab the latest deal. In some extreme cases, a consumer collects a booklet of coupons, goes to the grocery store, and actually doesn't spend much money at all due to their diligent work finding the best coupons.
However, many believe that couponing is not the best savings strategy, as they can induce people to buy things they don't need. In these cases, and many companies believe this is the case, it makes sense from a marketing standpoint to offer coupons and discounts, as they can drive up sales and branding to more than compensate for the discount you are actually providing.
This year as social media continues to grow with the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and new sites like Pinterest, coupons are going social. People are starting to share coupons with friends though these easy ways of giving more people access to coupons than ever before. The internet has allowed the spread of information on the web and through email; it can get you what you want faster than any other means. As opposed to searching through the Sunday morning paper for a coupon, you can simply do a search in Google and end up at Retailmenot or Coupons.com, with coupon offers from popular stores—Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Apple, and others.
A new site involved in the coupon trend is Premu, which offering deals and discounts from many such merchants—Target, Walmart, and others. What makes Premu different is that in addition to getting coupons, you can win a contest or sweepstakes when you're social and share them with your friends. Many other businesses are following the trend of sharing coupons and deals and encouraging consumers to be social with their mobile apps. New companies like Wikets and Oink allow you to recommend products you find while on the go.
The trend of being social isn't ending soon and coupons just got a little more fun.
Article comments