Coupons have been used for well over 100 years.
In fact, Coca-Cola brought the coupon concept to life in 1887, which is the first time a coupon was created and used.
Nowadays, coupons are virtually everywhere you look. You can find them in stores, get them on your purchase receipts, find them in your mail, magazines, newspapers, and online.
Digital coupons are extremely popular and used by millions of Americans.
In this article, we will discuss several key statistics about coupons while addressing just how many people use coupons.
Key Coupon Usage Statistics
- 91% of people in the United States population have used at least one coupon for something.
- Over 177 million Americans redeemed digital coupons in 2022.
- Roughly 50% of consumers said they searched for online coupons or have received digital coupons via email (2021).
- Slickdeals.net was the most visited coupon site in America in 2023.
- “DoorDash Promo Code” was the most searched online coupon over a year’s time.
- 96% of consumers aged 55 and older used coupons in 2019.
- The global population redeemed about 770 million coupons in 2022.
- 48% of consumers aged 18 to 34 use online coupons.
- 70% of consumers aged 55 and over use paper coupons.
- 33% of consumers aged 18 to 34 use mobile coupons.
How Many People Use Coupons?
According to coupon statistics in 2022, around 91% of Americans have used at least one coupon to buy something.
Moreover, 770 million coupons were redeemed all over the globe in 2022.
Also, in 2022, more than 177 million Americans had redeemed digital coupons and about half of consumers claimed to have searched specifically for online coupons, or had received them in their email (2021)
(Capital One Shopping, Coupon Follow, Fortunly, MeetAshni, Statista, Statista², Voucherify,)
Even though the younger generations choose digital coupons more, the older generations also partake in digital coupon usage.
Paper coupons have not yet been surpassed in terms of redemption (usage) by digital coupons, but that is likely to occur in the coming years.
Digital coupons are cropping up all over in spaces like social media, email advertising, online advertising, and on coupon websites like slickdeals.net. Coupon codes also play a key role in today’s coupon realm.
Interestingly, slickdeals.net became the most popular coupon site and the most visited by Americans in 2023.
Moreover, the search for “DoorDash Promo Code” was the highest search among online coupons over the course of the year.
Who Uses Coupons?
Since millions of people use coupons all over the world, it’s safe to say a lot of consumers use coupons. In fact, around 770 million global consumers use coupons.
The three different types of coupons people use include:
- Paper
- Digital
- Mobile
Paper coupons can come in your local newspaper, from a magazine, from your postal mail, or can be printed out from an online source for coupons.
Digital coupons are found online and are often used for online purchases or saved to use in the store. Digital coupons are on social media, coupon websites, etc.
Mobile coupons are exclusively from mobile apps.
Mobile apps that are provided for free by retailers and grocers allow consumers to save coupons and use them on their shopping trip in person or online.
That said, we will go into the age demographics of coupon usage and learn more about who uses coupons.
In 2022, one survey discovered that in America, the age group using the most online coupons were between 18 and 34 years old (48%). Moreover, 39% of those aged 35 to 54 use online coupons in the United States followed by 32% of those 55 and older.
More data revealed that a whopping 70% of users of paper coupons were 55 years old and older, while 63% were between 35 and 54, and finally, 46% were 18 to 34.
In terms of mobile coupon usage, 33% of those 18 to 34 said they use mobile coupons, while 25% were between 35 and 54, and only 17% of consumers 55 and older said they use mobile coupons.
Now that we are entering 2024, coupon statistics are probably different in terms of paper, digital, and mobile use as the rise of technology streamlines the couponing world.
(Capital One Shopping. Statista³)
Conclusion
We hope we have cleared up some things about coupons, where they can be found, how they can be used, and who uses them for you in this article.
Not only do we know that there are millions of worldwide coupon users, we know how Americans use coupons, and the age groups that use the different types of coupons the most.
One thing to takeaway from this article and from the coupon statistics within it is that digital and mobile coupons have gained ground as paper coupons start to quietly fade into the sunset.
You should now have a better understanding of how many people use coupons and where the future is headed in the realm of coupons.
FAQs
Are Paper Coupons on The Decline?
Since at least 2019, the use of paper coupons have been on the decline as Millennials and younger consumers choose digital or mobile coupons for their purchases.
Consumers 55 and older are still using paper coupons more than the younger generations, but are also jumping on the digital coupon train.
Overall, paper coupon redemptions took a wide downturn in 2023, which is likely to continue in 2024 and beyond.
More consumers will be using digital and mobile coupons from apps like their grocery store apps and others.
What Are the Benefits of Using Digital Coupons?
It’s pretty obvious that digital coupons can streamline coupon usage online and in the stores at the cash registers.
Even self-checkout systems allow consumers to input their coupons or codes (paper, digital, mobile).
In fact, many retail stores (grocery, department, etc.) have coupons you can save and redeem at checkout nowadays.
This is how mobile coupon users are really cashing in on the discounts and deals.
So, digital and mobile coupons are faster, easier, more convenient, and leaves less room for error at checkout.
What Are the Benefits of Using Paper Coupons?
We don’t want to leave out the benefits of paper coupons, because this medium isn’t yet obsolete.
In fact, for those who don’t use apps or smartphones, paper coupons are easily carried with you and can be used by a wide range of consumers.
After all, not everyone has WiFi or internet access, contrary to what we want to believe.
While digital coupons clearly have the advantage over paper coupons for people living in areas where internet access and WiFi is prevelant, they aren’t as useful for others without WiFi and internet access.
However, as the world continues to turn and technology evolves, paper coupons may become a thing of the past and find themselves being historical ephemera.