Last Updated: July 6, 2023

Topics: Consumers, Shopping, PRRI, PRRI-US
Tags: Retail Internet

For the latest coupon studies, please visit our coupon code homepage for more information.

Coupon Science announces the results of its annual coupon study. This year we updated the name to the 2023 Coupon and Promo Code Use Study to reflect the growing use of online promotions that dominated this year’s results. Using findings from over 2022 Consumer Survey participants, we look at how Americans use coupons and promotions when shopping online and in brick-and-mortar stores.

When asked about overall coupon usage, 91% of respondents reported using coupons in the past year for purchases. This represents a tiny drop from 92% that reported coupon use a year ago and may reflect a decline in brick-and-mortar shopping and a decrease in direct mail marketing campaigns and newspaper readership – both traditional coupon sources. Coupon use among Americans post Gen X, over 58 years, remained unchanged at 95%. This may be something for retailers to keep in mind when targeting this demographic.

The biggest change witnessed in the data this year was the dramatic decrease in paper coupon use among the Generation Z in the 9-24 year age group. While paper coupon usage only dropped slightly or held steady with older Americans, among younger people paper coupon use dropped to only 46%, which represents the lowest usage rate in our three years of data.

As reported by Coupon Science, online and mobile coupon use for under 25-year-olds rose to 48% and 33% respectively.

The drop seen in paper coupon usage among all age groups was matched only by the rise in online coupon and promo code usage in the same group. Online coupon usage among Americans under 25 year-olds rose to 48%, marking a significant amount of economic activity. The number of Gen Z who reported using mobile coupons to make purchases rose to 33%, outstripping all other age groups by a large margin. Retailers targeting younger people may want to shift their marketing strategies appropriately.

Additional key findings from the survey:

• Hybrid deals combine print and online: The number of Americans who say they print online coupons rose to 62%.
• Location matters: 56% of participants report visiting a brick-and-mortar store after receiving a deal or offer on their smartphone when they were near the store.
• Email remains the dominant medium: Over 80% of participants reported signing up for email offers specifically to receive discounts.
• Opportunities for more: 72% of older (55+) shoppers reported they would do more shopping online if it was easier to use their coupons there.

The full report will be released by Coupon Science in late September.

By Stephanie Nelson

Methodology:

The Coupon Science Consumer Surveys were conducted between November 6, 2022, and December 15, 2022, among 1894 U.S. residents ages 18 and over, using telephone solicitation, email invitations, and an online survey. Data was collected in partnership with iHerb Opportunity Health Center, Google Surveys, Survey Monkey, PRRI, and PRRI-US. Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the entire U.S. population ages 18 and over. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. In these particular studies, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 and 3 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample. The margin of error for any subgroups will be slightly higher.