Online coupons are big business. Businesses everyday are scrambling to find the best coupons to offer customers. That’s because research shows that, if customers are saving money at a particular site, they will come back, rather than go to their competitors. So how can you benefit as a consumer? By saving hundreds and thousands of dollars!
So where do you find the best coupons?
WHERE TO FIND THEM
Many businesses are now having programmer build the coupon technology right into their site, so that it comes up as an automatic pop-up or toolbar somewhere within the browser. So one of the things you can do is to look for this. Other sites announce savings right on their main site, which you can go to any time you want to check them out. Coupons are just one of the ways you can save but there are many companies now utilizing this strategy.
Here are some tips to try and places to look to cash in on the savings on the internet:
1) ON SITE SAVINGS OFFERS– These are offers that are obvious and right on the site, designed to capture your attention as you are shopping. Sometimes they come up when you first enter the site (as a pop-up). Other times, they may not present themselves until you are in the checkout process. Sometimes the discount is for shipping if you buy a certain amount of goods online. Remember to look for these when you are shopping with a particular site online. It may save you lots of money in the end.
2) OFF SITE SAVINGS– Just like the “on site” savings offers, some companies are opting to use social media, other partner websites, blogs, and other methods to get your attention. They often place their coupons off site, which means they are not on the main company site, but rather located somewhere else on the web. You can do a search for these by typing in things like “JC Penney coupons” or “current Sears promotions” or something like that. They are often found by Google easily when you type in relevant search terms. You may come across some sites which list many coupons for various companies as well if you know where to look. Here is an example from Walmart’s coupon program. I found this by typing in Walmart coupons.
3) POST CARD MAILERS– Despite the power of the internet, many big businesses still use some of the traditional methods for increasing sales. One of these is mass mailings. This is referred to as a national ad campaign, where TV ads, flyers, or postcards are sent out in massive quantities to get the most responses. Then call centers are set up to take the flood of calls. If you look in your mailbox on any given week, you are likely to find some coupons or special promotions from some of your favorite companies.
4) DIRECT RESPONSE ADS– As alluded to above with the TV ads, direct response ads on both TV and radio are another way companies may offer discounts, clubs, or coupons. Look for opportunities you are interested in by watching the TV ads, especially those with 1-800 numbers which allow you to get in on a good deal for calling in.
5) SAVINGS CLUBS-While you will want to use caution in this due to the subscription costs, savings clubs are another way you can cash in on savings. This is a discount club opportunity usually charging a set fee per month (normally, around $9.95 per month) in return for savings on products from their partners all year long. For example, you may get a 30% savings on prescription drugs if you are a member and shop at one of the participating drug stores. While this is not for everyone, if you take regular prescription drugs, in this example, you would definitely be saving more than you are putting out in a premium. In these cases, it’s a no-brainer.
There are other ways to find coupons, such as looking in the newspaper or local media for ads. Do a search online for coupons and you will get lots of results. With so many businesses participating, it’s easy to see why it works and everyone wins!
Happy shopping!
Daniel Patterson is a professional blogger that provides information and advice for the food service industry and wholesale food service supply. He writes for National Grocers Corporation, a Restaurant supply company providing wholesale food containers, cups and utensils.