Consumers are getting more and more technologically savvy. Threatening the practice of getting and using coupons in the traditional way. According DMNEWS Newspaper subscriptions have declined by 9% in the past year, which means that consumers must be getting their coupons through other sources. We are not only getting our news from other sources, but are we, as consumers taking advantage of online coupons and deals?
The obvious answer is yes, of course. All traditional channels for information are in question. Marketers understand that consumers are doing a majority of their shopping online. Therefore, marketing efforts are pointing toward online users.
This got me questioning the value of print media in today’s world. If we as culture no longer go to traditional sources for coupons, news, weather etc then what is the future for those traditional forms? Newspaper subscription has gone down, which is ultimately a sign of a shifting trend.
So, are the use traditional coupons near extinction? Let’s say that for now, no. Eventually, I’d say yes. As the the Baby Boomer generation moves along with the Millennial generation in going online the traditional sources are going by the wayside. Coupon cutting and clipping are relevant in an uncertain economy but it’s much better done online. Many companies are also delivering coupons straight to the consumers phones via e-mail, text, social media and other smart phone applications. Like every change big or small the shift from print to digital won’t be a quick process. Who knows, maybe we’ll all miss lazy Sunday afternoons with a pair of scissors and a newspaper and resist another modern change.
I question whether the decline of traditional access points for coupons is really the primary reason for the decline in coupon use. My observation tends toward people being both disillusioned about using coupons as a way of really saving money (as you say, post boomer generations are more savvy and less trusting of the motives of companies regarding whether companies really care that much whether they save you money…and the belief that the starting price is just elevated to make it look like you've saved money) and also an indifference to the few pennies coupons save the consumer. If we want something, we want it, and just go get it!
I agree it may be a shame about the newspaper, since there is something quite delightfully decadent about lounging on Sunday with the Funnies to look forward to!
I write to and for pre-boomers (those born between 1930 and 1945). We the ones who have been passed the baton from the greatest generation and will help the boomers who begin turning 65 next year (this will occur every 10 seconds until 2030). As belivers in the values and traditions we were taught and with faith in the American dream, we are the moral comppass for a nation that has seemingtly lost its way. Having said that, we used coupons all our lives and I posted an article this week about the the subject. Go tohttp://www.pre-boomermusings.com.
As a boomer, I love coupons, but I look for them on line. On Facebook fan pages, company website, and directories like restaurants.com. I have even started to download them to my phone. There will always be coupons and discounts, just in new formats.