Top Savings Site, CoolSavings.com, Unveils Unexpected Coupon Data

CHICAGO, Jan. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today CoolSavings.com [www.CoolSavings.com], an online savings destination where budget-conscious consumers find free grocery coupons and offers from their favorite name brands, unveiled its latest study, "The Evolution of Couponing." The study takes a look at recent trends and upticks in the couponing industry; CoolSavings surveyed over 1,200 consumers.

Whether due to tough economic times, or the surprising success of the reality TV show Extreme Couponing, or both, the study proved that an increasing number of consumers are looking to save -- and  in more ways than ever. Further, the study discovered it's not just one demographic – men are getting in on the game, as are employed consumers who have never clipped a coupon before.

Over the last five years, 62 percent of CoolSavings survey respondents say that their coupon and savings research has changed. Over half say that almost every savings opportunity they utilize is found online, and 25 percent report getting deals and savings by using social media and "virally" via forwarded emails from friends. Half of those surveyed are currently employed, and of those, 63 percent are parents with children in the household.

"In our study, we found that gone are the days of stay-at-home moms clipping coupons while managing the family budget. It's about being smart with your money," said Emily Girolamo, Vice President of Marketing at CoolSavings. "The methods of saving have significantly changed over the past five years. More people are looking for their savings online, in their inbox and via social media such as Facebook and Twitter."

The study of CoolSavings members also found the daily deal phenomenon tends to attract more men than women. A surprising amount of younger men are gravitating to this savings trend -- ten percent more than women. However, only a third of respondents say they have used a daily deal website. For those that do, 40% of men and 65% of women say they mostly use the sites as a way to save on something they were going to buy anyway. When it comes to nonessential items, or "impulse buying," 28 percent of men (and only 16 percent of women) say, "I can't pass up a great deal. It doesn't matter what it is for, I just buy it knowing it will be used."

While those over 50 years old still use newspapers, and increasingly, the Internet, as their main savings sources, the younger generation of 18-29 year-olds are more likely to use daily deal websites, and also likely to use coupon codes at checkout when shopping online.  

CoolSavings is a pioneer in online savings. Founded in 1994, the company has consistently provided a robust savings destination for a variety of consumer segments – specifically, the coveted mom consumer group.

About CoolSavings.com

CoolSavings.com [CoolSavings.com] is one of the Internet's leading consumer savings destinations. A one-stop shopping site, CoolSavings.com helps consumers save time and money on all of their purchases through daily deals, coupons, online promotional codes, free stuff, comparison shopping features and more. CoolSavings is committed to always offering visitors the best and widest variety of coupons and savings from the nation's top brands.

SOURCE CoolSavings.com