Ditch the Clipping, Try Electronic Coupons

Sept. 11, 2007 — -- If you think cutting out and organizing paper coupons is more work than it's worth, you'll be glad to hear that there are easier, high-tech coupon options available now.

Manufacturers issued 331 billion grocery coupons in 2006 and less than 1 percent of them were redeemed. Although there are many reasons for the high number of coupons thrown away, part of the reason is that many shoppers find it too time-consuming to spend hours a month cutting out and organizing grocery coupons. It comes as no surprise that the easiest coupons to use, "electronic discount coupons," had the highest redemption rate (41 percent) compared to other types of grocery coupons. Fortunately for shoppers, more grocery stores are making electronic discount coupons available.

You can take advantage of electronic discount coupons more often by quickly looking at the store's weekly sales flyer before you shop. Many stores have some sort of electronic discount available every week. For example, earlier this month Kroger stores featured a promotion that gave shoppers $2 off their order automatically when shoppers purchased 10 participating items. The sales flyer promoted the electronic discount offer and special shelf tags clearly marked participating items. Similar promotions give shoppers a free item when they purchase participating items. When savings are this easy, it's worth taking a moment to glance at the flyer, even if you are not a coupon clipper.

Other stores like Jewel in the Midwest and CVS/Pharmacy stores are installing new coupon kiosks in their stores. Shoppers scan their store discount card at the kiosk, which generates coupons for the types of items or specific brands that the shopper has purchased in the past. No clipping required!

There are also new electronic solutions to make it easier for consumers to save money at local businesses, such as coupons you can use on your cell phone. Cellfire is a company that believes people would be more likely to use coupons if they were delivered directly to their cell phone, particularly younger consumers who do not traditionally use newspaper coupons. Shoppers simply sign up for the mobile coupon service at no cost at www.cellfire.com.

Cellfire sends them coupons via a text message on their cell phone. Shoppers open the text message and view the coupon offer, such as $5 off at a restaurant. When they visit the restaurant, they simply show the server the coupon offer on the screen of their cell phone and the server deducts that amount from their bill. I've heard many shoppers tell me that they get to the restaurant and realize they've forgotten their coupon, but very few people forget their cell phone. Even the most reluctant coupon users might find that to be a more sophisticated way to use coupons.

Zimini.com is a new company that has a unique software solution for printing local business and restaurant coupons directly from personal computers. Site users specify the types of coupons they'd like to receive and download the secure Zimini software to their computer. Businesses can submit coupons and special promotions to be made available to shoppers via the Zimini software. Zimini.com users get coupons that fit their preferences right on their desktop without needing to search through a site filled with irrelevant coupon offers.

Even Google has gotten in the act with their new Google Maps coupons. Local businesses can add coupons at no cost, and shoppers can search for relevant local coupons in the Google Maps section. Businesses that have free printable coupons available have a "coupons" notation next to their business address listing at Google.com/maps.

If you would be interested in using grocery coupons if someone else found the coupons you needed, shoppers can take advantage of a new feature on www.couponmom.com called the "Coupon and Deal Alert." Shoppers sign up for the alert service and specify the types of items they buy such as "cereal" or brand names they prefer such as "General Mills." If a coupon comes out for the preferred items in their city's newspaper, they will receive an e-mail alert on Sundays to make sure they buy the Sunday newspaper that week. If that particular item goes on sale at their specific grocery store, they will also receive an e-mail alert.

Stephanie Nelson shares her savings tips as a regular contributor on ABCNEWS.com. You can find more of her savings tips in her book "The Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom" and on her Web site at www.couponmom.com.