Coupons.com, a site that allows consumers to select and print coupons that can be redeemed at stores offline, had 8.5 million visitors in November 2008. Compete has since reported the site receives over 14 million unique monthly visitors.
"Our network is 72% female college-educated homeowners with kids at home," Steven Boal, CEO of Coupons Inc. - which runs the site - told eMarketer. "About 0.5% of the coupons sent in the Sunday paper are redeemed, whereas 17% is the average number of coupons printed to redeem off our network. There are typically anywhere between 85 and 120 offers, depending on when in a month you go [to Coupons.com]."
As consumers - most of them female - turn to the Web for coupons, they’re still finding deals in more traditional ways. In an October 2008 survey of 2,000 female Internet users ages 18 and older by SheSpeaks, 76% of respondents reported sharing offline coupons found in magazines, direct mail or newspapers with their friends. Of the same group, 66% shared online coupons that could be printed and then used in stores.
"The rough economy has motivated consumers to become more resourceful in how they use the Internet to research potential online and in-store purchases," said eMarketer analyst Jeffrey Grau. "The future looks bright for coupon sites as financially strapped consumers rely on the Internet to stretch their dollars."
