Have you ever hit “LIKE” to enter a contest? Did you enter a coupon code on Black Friday or Cyber Monday? 74% of frequent online shoppers looked for coupons online in 2011, up from 63% in 2010. By the end of 2013, more than half of U.S. adult Internet users—that’s 102.5 million people—will have redeemed digital coupons, according to eMarketer.
A few years back, we responded to Ed McMahon’s millionaire lottery by mail and flipped through a thick stack of newsprint to clip coupons. While our betting tendencies and bargaining dispositions haven’t changed, the ways in which we enter to win and cut costs have changed. We help our clients succeed with online sweepstakes and digital coupons.
While print coupons still dominate, they’re steadily being replaced by digital promotions that can easily be saved and redeemed via email, mobile wallets or store rewards cards. Retailers want to make it easier for customers to find and redeem deals. We do this with the aid of technology, traffic targeting and loyalty programs. Examples from our portfolio include: Sabra Dipping Co.’s National Hummus Day and Kiss My Face’s digital coupons.
What has been our greatest insight from managing online sweepstakes and digital coupons? Beyond gaining impressions is the benefit of reaching out to an already engaged audience. In each campaign we’ve created, launched and managed for our clients, we’ve relied on top social media platforms. As Facebook users “LIKE” and even share to win, these brand ambassadors have intrinsically helped our clients remain top-of-mind.
Why should your retail business consider online sweepstakes or digital coupons in 2014?
For a long time, middle-income families were embarrassed to redeem print coupons, afraid of being judged by the people on line behind them. Only 1% of consumers redeem print coupons each year. Online, though, sweepstakes and digital coupons are on a surprisingly positive, trajectory. In fact, eMarketer changed their prediction for 2013. Instead of the 4.6% increase in digital coupon use from 2012 to 2013, they expect an 11% increase.
We can attribute a part of this trend to the mobile-enhanced lifestyle. Plus the highly shared consumer experiences of winning and saving on popular social networks.
Want to bring more customers to your website in 2014? Contact us to discuss sweepstakes and digital coupons. We’ll plan a promo that keeps your brand ahead of the curve.
