How Do Coupons Affect Consumers?
Discounts reduce propensity to shop around Studies show that offering a coupon or discount can deter consumers from looking for the same product elsewhere. This is because discounts create a sense of urgency to buy, which distracts shoppers from looking for other options. Coupons have long been used to increase sales. Even so, the COVID-19 pandemic has driven an e-commerce boom that has seen statistics on the effectiveness of coupon discounts skyrocket when it comes to consumer buying behavior.
INCREASE CONSUMPTION RATES When a coupon lowers the cost of ownership, consumers are willing to buy more of your product, faster. They recognize value and are more willing to use your product. They care less about waste and more about value. Sellers end up selling more in a shorter period of time.
Even if they only save one or two dollars, that’s a value that customers didn’t have before using the coupon and a value they can apply to other things in their lives. However, with a coupon, even if your new pizza is loaded with anchovies you didn’t want, you didn’t pay full price and therefore it was worth the risk. The influence of the nominal value of the coupon on service quality expectations, risk perceptions and purchase intentions in the dental industry. The face value of a coupon or the amount of a refund can produce a positive monetary effect of price promotion.
Businesses simply need to adapt the way they offer their discounts and optimize their customers’ digital experiences to include easy access to online savings coupons. The psychology of coupons emphasizes the inherent value that consumers can achieve, even if that value is not significantly valuable. When you offer coupons and other offers to your customers exclusive offers just for your customers, you make them feel special, as if you are doing this just for them. Coupons can appeal to consumers, but they carry risks to a company’s profit margins, as well as raising the bar for customers who expect deep discounts every time they shop.
With a customer base that is easily influenced by coupons, it’s no surprise that Bed Bath & Beyond keeps its blue coupons. Free-Stand inserts remained the most popular form of coupons for both distribution and redemption, accounting for 89.8% of all coupons distributed and 34.2% of all coupons redeemed, according to the study. Far from that, most research shows that the number of Americans who use coupons and other offers regularly exceeds 90 percent. That’s why offering coupon discounts is essential to incentivize shoppers to take action rather than keep looking for a better deal elsewhere.
Findings like these confirm why coupons are so popular, no matter who the consumer is, wealthy shoppers are more likely to use coupons.
References
- How do Coupons influence consumer purchase behavior? | MoEngage
- Effects of price discount on consumers’ perceptions of savings, quality, and value for apparel products: mediating effect of price discount affect | Fashion and Textiles | Full Text
- https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/marketing/2018/01/the-psychology-of-the-coupon-do-they-really-work.html