Digital Coupon Users Outspend the National Average by 114 Percent

Consumers who use digital coupons spend more than the average shopper – a lot more, says a recent study by Coupons.com and market researcher GfK.

In a report released Monday (June 1 ) titled “Digital Coupon Redeemer: Shopper Trends,” data reported that shoppers who frequently use digital coupons shop as much as 47 percent more often than the average shopper – and spend more than $6,000 on groceries and household goods. That tally is 114 percent more than the U.S. national average, the firms noted.

The study tracked 84 Coupons.com campaigns that were conducted through 2014, ranging across categories that included health and beauty, beverages and pet care. The 84 campaigns in turn identified more than 40,000 shippers as digital coupon redeemers.

Consumers across those campaigns were divided into three categories: all shoppers, digital coupon users, and heavy digital coupon shoppers. Breaking down those categories a bit further, digital coupon shoppers used at least one coupon annually, and heavy shoppers used at least 90 of those coupons per year. Coupons.com noted that research found heavy digital coupon users spending more per shopping tip – evidenced by the average ticker of $63.97 vs. the national average of $41.17.

“Through this report, we see clearly that heavy digital coupon users are not only shopping more and spending more, they are also stocking up more often,” said Neal Heffernan, Senior Vice President, Shopper & Retail Strategy, GfK, in a statement detailing the report’s findings.

“The average person makes 11.9 stock-up shopping trips per year — meaning they are spending a minimum of $75 per basket — while heavy digital coupon users make more than triple that number, with 37.5 stock-up shopping trips annually,” Heffernan continued. “These couponers are becoming a powerful subset of today’s consumers, and through this data we see that retailers who cater to them are reaping substantial benefits.”

Earlier this year, retail surveys showed an impressive 78 percent of retail company CFOs anticipated a surge in online shopping, with an attendant increase in their own investment in mobile technologies.

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