Shaping the Future of Couponing
By Chad Ross, Manager, Industry Relations, Food Marketing Institute
As a millennial, I sometimes think my smartphone is an extension of my hand. I bring it everywhere, jester with is casually in conversations and feel assured that when I have my smartphone with me I have everything I need. Because of that, I can’t image the idea of clipping coupons, although I respect those that take the time to do so. Instead, I’m far more likely to use my smartphone while grocery shopping to find the latest deal.
Turns out I’m not alone. According to U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2017 report, 52 percent of shoppers now use digital coupons while at the grocery store. That number increases to 68 percent of shoppers from households with kids indicating the convenience factor of digital coupons is gaining strength. According to NCH Marketing Services Inc., while paper coupons represent the majority of distributed coupons, they are declining as a share as digital coupons continue to accelerate.
Industry Collaboration on Coupons
As digital coupons continue to gain popularity, there is an opportunity to shape their future. FMI, Grocery Manufacturers Association, GS1 US, Coupon Information Center and Association for Coupon Professional work together on the Joint Industry Coupon Committee (JICC) to transform coupon effectives and efficiency for all stakeholders (consumers, manufactures and retailers).
The JICC has identified three pillars to assist our industry in making this transition:
- Removing Non-Value Added Cost – The JICC will assess business process flow to determine the “real” handling cost of digital vs. paper coupons.
- Improve Coupon Offer Structure – Best practices guidance exists and the JICC will communicate and deploy the information.
- Eliminate Fraud & Risk by Enabling Technology – The JICC is working to create an industry-managed centralized database to check offer validity.
Join the Couponing Club
In order to be at the forefront of change with coupons, we need input from all levels of the supply chain to enact these three pillars. The JICC not only collaborates with executive level colleauges from associations, but also with our retail and manufacturing partners. To get involved in the JICC as we shape the digital coupon landscape contact Chad Ross.
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