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Tag: Online Coupons

  • Online Coupons: Where Can You Find Them?

    If you shop online often, you may be aware that there are many online coupons available that can help you save money on your purchases. These coupons can help you get items for free with a purchase, get free shipping on your purchase or save a certain percentage off your total purchase. Almost every online story has online coupons available, you just have to know where to find them.

    Coupons Websites
    The easiest way to find coupons for your favorite online stores is to search coupon websites. There are many of these online and they can all offer different savings, deals, and offers. Most will offer information and restrictions on the coupons and even tell you if the coupon code you want to use is still working or has expired. A few of the most popular online coupons websites are RetailMeNot, CouponCabin, and DealCatcher.

    Store Newsletters
    If you shop at a store often, you may have been asked if you would like to subscribe to their online newsletter that is delivered to your email inbox on a regular basis. While you may not opt for this subscription because you think of the newsletter as spam, you could be missing out on some great store coupons. These newsletters often contain information on deals, sales, and special offers and even coupon codes that can be used online.

    Ads And Inserts
    While you might not think that ads and coupon inserts would have coupons that can be used online, you are wrong. If you look carefully on certain coupons and ads, you will find that there is a code that can be used to enter the coupon online. Not every coupon will have this option, but many do. It’s worth checking out if you have a few inserts or ads around your home.

    If you shop online often, it is worth finding coupons that you can use to save money. What are you favorite coupon sites or where do you find your online coupons?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Groupon Adds Freebies: Easy to Use Online Coupons

    Groupon now has launched a new category within its marketplace online for Freebies. This tool gives online shoppers another avenue to save through samples, promotional codes, traditional sales, and digital coupons. Freebies has had the initial kinks worked out and is officially out of beta. There are currently over 5,500 name brands from various stores in the United States available to select from.

    Groupon is planning to move the program into other markets around the globe in 2014. Groupon is still actively looking for companies that want to advertise with them. “We want to save customers money everywhere they shop — whether it’s their local coffee shop or a large department store,” stated by Groupons senior vice president of global marketing, Rich Williams. “With top brands, a huge selection and exclusive offers, Freebies is another reason to always check Groupon first.”

    Groupons new Freebies portion of their website is incredibly user friendly. There is no longer any need to scour online search engines and forums trying to find coupon codes for popular brands sold through online stores. Shoppers can quickly browse for coupons by the name of the store or by searching through specific categories.

    Shopping for the holidays with coupon codes is one way to avoid the busy stores and save a substantial amount of money. Look for coupons for a specific dollar amount off, a percentage off, or free shipping. Some retailers will allow customers to combine a savings coupons with a  free shipping code.

    Coupon deals are available in toys, electronics, entertainment, jewelry, clothing, home, pets, sporting equipment, tools, automotive, food, and several other categories.

    #Whatsfreedaily Caution its really not free but could be useful to some. Groupon Freebies – Thousands of New Coupons http://t.co/o3IceXUVMy

    — Felesia Dailey (@whatsfreedaily) November 25, 2013

     

    Loyal visitors to the Groupons local city based platform are not all happy about the move to online sales. Local sales categories with similar great deals in some areas are lacking in selection. Black Friday and other online shopping holidays offers the best value for consumers who are savvy enough to find the best deals.

  • Groupon’s Rewards Program Now Available Nationwide

    Groupon today announced that its Rewards program, which it began testing in September 2011, has now launched nationwide to the U.S. Groupon Rewards is a loyalty program that uses credit cards to track spending at retailers who use Groupon. The merchants can then reward customers who spend a certain amount. It’s the Groupon version of a coffeehouse punch card or a gas station rewards card.

    “We believe this is the easiest Rewards program in the world for both merchants and consumers,” said Jay Hoffmann, General Manager for Groupon Rewards. “Merchants can leverage the power of Groupon’s active customer base to launch a loyalty program with real impact, using the systems they already have in place. And thanks to the scale of Groupon’s network of high quality local businesses, consumers can enjoy increased savings from a wide variety of merchants in their backyard and all over the U.S.”

    Hoffmann posted an announcement of the product launch on the Groupon blog, where he pointed out some of the details of how Groupon Rewards works. Users who want to participate in Groupon Rewards must use a credit card they have saved with their Groupon account when making purchases for them to count toward rewards. Also, the amount of spending needed to obtain a reward is set by the retailer, not Groupon.

    Groupon will be facing fierce competition in the near future, as Google expands its Google Offers into Google Maps and Facebook releases its own “Offers” program. Also, Facebook recently acquired TagTile, a company that was implementing a similar program to Groupon Rewards. It’s probable that Facebook will have a Rewards-type program soon, possibly involving smartphone NFC technology instead of credit card tracking.

    What do you think? Will programs such as this one help Groupon compete as internet giants encroach into their business territory? Leave a comment below and let us know.

  • Facebook Now Testing Offers For Online Retailers

    Facebook Now Testing Offers For Online Retailers

    The recently launched Facebook Offers beta allows businesses of all types to create coupons for their fans on Facebook. The program takes aim at other coupon services such as Groupon and one of community newspapers’ last reliable sources of revenue – the weekly coupon mailer. While Facebook Offers isn’t quite ready to take the place of a super-saver, online coupons offering discounts and deals for fans of larger retailers’ Facebook pages can now be spotted in those fans’ news feeds. The only problem is the redemption of the Offers, which use email as a middle-man and still require a user to physically go to a retail location.

    This week, Facebook began testing a different kind of Offers that includes redemption codes for online retailers. TechCrunch’s Josh Constine has confirmed with Facebook that that the site is testing a version of Offers that will use a “promo code or special link to click through for a discount on off-site purchases.” The codes and links may show up in more than just offers, though, and could be included in ads and sponsored stories. Facebook is testing the feature in a closed beta, and there is no word on when it could be made public in the way Facebook Offers now is.

    Given the ubiquity of Facebook, its Offers feature for businesses is a masterful tactical move. It provides businesses large and small with an incentive to have a presence on the social networking platform. Facebook users now have more reason to “Like” a businesses’ Facebook page, providing retailers the opportunity to build a community of shoppers. It’s a way for Facebook to insert ads into user’s news feeds without forcing them on users. And when businesses get a glimpse of how effective the Offers can be just in user’s news feeds, that should translate into ad and sponsored story Offers revenue for Facebook.

    What do you think? Is my analysis of Facebook’s Offers off-base? Will you “Like” online retailers simply for the offers? Leave a comment below and let me know.

    (via TechCrunch)

  • Groupon Now Milestone: 1.5 Million Deals Sold

    Groupon Now! just issued its 1.5 millionth groupon deal at CiCi’s Nails in Chicago, Illinois. The deal with features a $42 manicure and pedicure deal for $30 marks a huge milestone for a service only available for one year. Groupon Now! is different from regular Groupon in the way it offers location-based deals in real-time.

    Groupon Now! gives merchants the opportunity to control coupon sales, and to allow customer to redeem coupons and other deals on the spot without the restriction of waiting periods or effective dates. It’s more about instant gratification and spur-of-the-moment deals.

    Dan Roarty, VP of Groupon Now! comments on the milestone at the coupon giant:

    “In just one year Groupon Now! has hit a milestone that took the original Groupon deal platform 15 months to accomplish,”

    “We continue to attract new merchants looking for an effective way to bring in a steady stream of customers on the days and times they choose and are now live in 31 of 175 North American Groupon markets with more launching soon. Customers have demonstrated there is a real demand for this service and we remain enthusiastic about the potential for Groupon Now! to help merchants reach new customers and grow their businesses.”

    CiCi Nails owner Mike Kang comments on the utility of Groupon Now!:

    “Groupon Now! is a steady force in our marketing mix, providing a flexible way to help drive traffic into our salon during off-peak hours and ensuring we use all inventory and staff to their fullest potential,”

    “The clientele that Groupon Now! delivers consistently become regular customers. It’s a must-use tool for us.”

    Groupon Now is part of Groupon’s extensive product line for small and growing businesses. Groupon has been providing online deals since they launched on November 2008 in Chicago. They focus on sullying cutovers with win-win bargains based on their collective buying power. They deliver over a thousand deals daily on a global level.

  • Groupon Gets Flak For Porn Studio Tours

    In 2006, a Columbia University finance PhD graduate named Peter Acworth purchased a 200,000 square foot reproduction of a Moorish castle. The castle has gained notoriety over the years before he purchased it as a National Guard office and film set for various sequences in the Star Wars movies. More recently, Groupon has been offering tours of the replica castle, and it has been the source of some controversy.

    moorish castle armory

    Currently the armory is being used as the Kink.com porn studios. The castle has served as the shooting grounds for many bondage films since being acquired by Acworth in 2006. Located in San Francisco, the Groupon-offered walking tour of the facilities has become quite popular, but anti-porn activists, Morality-in-Media, would like to see Groupon stop offering the deal and stop promoting the studio.

    Check out this video from the executive director of Morality in Media as she gives some details about what they do and a recent effort to stop pornography on a Delta Airways flight:

    For $28 two adults, who must be over 18 years-of-age, can tour the 200,000 square foot castle and Kink.Com movie sets. What the studio offers is an unbelievable opportunity to see a live shooting of an adult bondage film. The tour is 40 minutes long and expires this coming January.

    (Image courtesy of S.F. Armory.Com)

  • H&R Block Coupon Code Gives 20% Off Software Download

    CouponBuzz.com announced a new 20% off H&R Block Coupon code for H&R Block At Home downloadable tax preparation software. The coupon code is featured on their recently launched webpage dedicated to H&R Block coupons and coupon codes.

    H&R Block At Home tax preparation software is one of the most commonly used tax tools available.

    “Just being able to claim one more deduction that you didn’t know about could mean the difference of hundreds of dollars more in your pocket,” said Justin Bowen, CEO of CouponBuzz.com.

    40% of American taxpayers do their own taxes each year. If a taxpayer underpays the federal government, it is highly likely that they are going to hear about it. But if a taxpayer overpays the federal government, well, Uncle Sam isn’t going to track them down and offer it back.

  • Meineke Gets Effective Twitter Marketing

    Meineke Gets Effective Twitter Marketing

    Currently, there’s a silly trend populating Twitter feeds everywhere, one that uses the #ItsOkayToCheatif hashtag. The tweets responding to the trend are primarily from bored kids who are trying to sound deep and compelling, or maybe even humorous. Ultimately, it’s a throwaway trend that will fall by the wayside in an hour or so.

    But, one car care company in particular provided us with a valuable lesson on how to capitalize on even the most innocuous Twitter trend in order to promote their business. The company in question is Meineke, and instead of adding yet another throwaway tweet about when it’s acceptable to cheat, their social media manager demonstrated a nifty way to use these silly trends to your business’ advantage.

    Take a look:

    @meinekecarcare
    Meineke Car Care    #itsokaytocheatif on changing your oil if you want your engine to get destroyed. Bring this coupon and keep it honest http://t.co/kjRZXesU 19 minutes ago via Social Office Suite · powered by @socialditto

    When the link is clicked, visitors are taken to a Meineke coupon page that features a Twitter special coupon:

    Twitter Coupon

    In fact, the URL of the linked page is revealing in and of itself:

    http://www.meineke.com/twitter/

    And that, folks, is the correct way to capitalize on a Twitter trend, regardless of how silly it may or may not be. Granted, something like this would obviously not be appropriate if it was done in an insensitive manner, like, say during the outpouring of tweets concerning the Japanese earthquakes or the tornadoes that trashed various cities around the United States earlier this year.

    However, if it’s a throwaway trend we’re talking about, something the #ItsOkayToCheatif trend clearly is, then tailoring a promotional tweet to fit such a trend is a great way to take advantage of all that Twitter noise. Now, can a coupon page actually be considered a signal to be acknowledged over the normal Twitter noise? Perhaps not, but it’s still an effective way to leverage something all the Twitter users are discussing.

    Hey, even bored kids with not much to do need oil changes too, or at least, their friends who have cars do.

  • More Men Using Online Coupons

    More Men Using Online Coupons

    Online coupon websites remain a popular way to save, with an increase in usage among men, according to a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive, on behalf of RetailMeNot.com.

    RetailMeNot The survey found that in the past two years, consumer awareness of online coupon sites has increased significantly, with only 11 percent of online adults stating that they did not know what a coupon website was, compared to 16 percent in 2009 and 17 percent in 2008.

    More than a third (34%) of online adults indicate they will opt to go to a different store and/or wait for a coupon to become available if they cannot find a coupon, compared to 30 percent and 27 percent in 2009 and 2008 respectively.

    Coupon usage has begun to close the gap between genders, with more men using coupons than in previous years. Coupon website usage among male online shoppers increased across all age brackets, with the most notable increase from 16 percent last year to 24 percent this year in men ages 55 or older.

    Additionally the survey looked at grocery coupons for the first time, find the majority of online shoppers 87 percent of men and 93 percent of women—have used coupons for grocery purchases. Despite a third (33 percent) of these adults reporting that they use coupon websites to find grocery coupons, nearly seven in 10 (69 percent) still use newspapers.

    Other popular methods of finding grocery coupons included the postal mail (50 percent), on or inside product packages (43 percent), in-store displays (42 percent), with/on the back of receipts (30 percent), in emails (28 percent), in magazines (25 percent), on manufacturer or retailer websites (24 percent), with a retailer club card (15 percent) and/or on social networks (4 percent).

    “With previous downturns in the economy, consumers were forced to take a more active role in monitoring their spending,” said Guy King, co-founder of RetailMeNot.com.

    “A result of this increased attention has been that people are now more aware than ever of the opportunities to save money and are less willing to make a purchase without first checking for a lower price.”

  • Groupon Personalized Deals Will Be Huge for Customers, Businesses

    Groupon, the service that provides daily deals that save customers money, is getting a lot of attention these days. Now, they’ll be getting much more. Late yesterday, the company announced a big feature in Personalized Deals. Today, they have released an FAQ for those.

    "Personalized Deals is the biggest thing we’ve done since we launched Groupon," the company says. "While Groupon won’t look much different, sending different deals to different users transforms Groupon in four big ways."

    If you thought Groupon was getting big, this feature might be the ticket to making it a household name. Along with the launch of an Android app last week, Personalized Deals is likely going to put Groupon on a lot more people’s mobile devices.

    Learn How Groupon Works! from The Point on Vimeo.

    As a result of the Personalized Deals feature, users will start getting offers from a growing number of businesses, which are tailored to their location, preferences, and buying patterns.

    "Groupon has become so popular with merchants that we can’t keep up with demand," Groupon says. "Over 35,000 merchants are queued to be featured on Groupon, and with 97% of our merchants wanting to be featured again, that list is only going to get longer. As a response to unmet demand, Groupon has become one of the most prolifically copied websites in the history of the Internet, with over 500 worldwide Groupon knockoffs appearing in the last 12 months."

    There’s no question that the Personalized Deals feature is going to continue to attract businesses to Groupon. Customers have more of a reason than ever to use the service.

  • Kroger Launches Online Coupon Center

    Kroger Launches Online Coupon Center

    Kroger has launched a new online coupon center available on its website.

    The coupon center offers manufacturer, Kroger brand and web-only coupons, allin one online center. Users can load offers onto their Kroger Plus Card or loyalty cards for other stores Kroger operates including City Market, Dillons, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Jay C, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith’s.

    "This new digital coupon center makes it even easier for our customers to save money," said Evan Anthony, vice president of corporate marketing and advertising for Kroger.

    Kroger-Coupons

    "Our customers asked to make online coupons easier for them to use and we listened. The time and money they can save is just the latest way Kroger delivers more value to its customers."

    Users can select up to 150 coupons and then click the "Load Coupons to Card" option to digitally "clip" each coupon and add them directly to their Kroger Plus Card. Coupons will be available one hour after they are loaded onto a customer’s card. Each digital coupon loaded to the site is subject to an expiration date, generally within six weeks of being loaded to the digital coupon center.

    Earlier this summer, Kroger launched its Summer of Savings program. Also available from Kroger’s homepage, the program includes an instant-win sweepstakes and special summer-themed coupons for customers. 
     

     

  • Savings.com Launches Answers Service

    Online coupon site Savings.com has launched Answers, a new service that allows users to ask shopping related questions and receive answers from others in real time.

    To try Savings.com Answers service, users ask a question about a product or a service they want to purchase. The service relies on the Savings.com community, who respond with answers and related coupons. Users are emailed with each new response to their question, and conversations are indexed so other shoppers can access the information.

     

    Savings-Answers

     

    "In a real-world shopping environment, people naturally consult friends and store clerks for advice, and we realized that the same real-time interaction was missing from the online shopping experience," said Loren Bendele, CEO of Savings.com.

    "With the launch of Answers, online shoppers have a new, intuitive and extremely effective way to find and share the best deals and shopping advice on the Web."

    Answers allows users and others to attach coupons and coupon codes to their responses. It offers online shoppers a forum to give and receive advice on all parts of their shopping experience, from finding the best deals to tips about planning a budget wedding.

     

     

  • More Shoppers Going Online To Find Food Deals

    Consumers, looking for deals and discounts on food purchases, are increasingly turning to online tools to save money on groceries, according to Deloitte’s "2010 Consumer Food Safety Survey."

    The survey found 33 percent of respondents subscribed to receive emails/recipes/coupons directly from food manufacturers/companies, a six percent increase from 2008.

    Pat-Conroy-Deloitte "Today’s consumers are using the Internet to not just find nutritional and safety information about the foods they eat, but to find the best value for their dollar," said Pat Conroy, Deloitte’s vice chairman and consumer products practice leader in the United States.

    "If this recession has taught us anything, it’s that we don’t necessarily have to sacrifice quality for value — and consumers have figured that out by uncovering the wealth of product promotions and other marketing messages available on the Internet."

    Nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents said they have visited a food company’s website to find out product information and 23 percent also made a food purchase because of something they read online.

    Mobile devices are beginning to play a key role for shoppers as they make decisions on what to buy, especially when it comes to price.  Seven percent of people who took the survey have used their mobile/smart phone while in a store for a variety of reasons including to: compare prices (53 percent), get/redeem coupons/discounts (44 percent) and obtain nutritional information (28 percent). 

    When it comes to bargain hunting, men are more aggressive and, use their mobile devices more than women, to compare prices (59 percent to 49 percent) and obtain/redeem coupons/discounts (53 percent to 38 percent).  Women, on the other hand, are more focused on using their mobile devices for receiving further nutritional information (36 percent to 18 percent).

    "In today’s economy, consumers believe that they can get quality products without paying higher prices, whether that’s from store brands or national brands," said Conroy.

    "Consumers realize their shopping choices have expanded giving them the ability to be more selective about their purchases based on a variety of criteria, including but not limited to, quality, quantity, taste, and of course, value.  The question companies are asking now is, ‘Will this more critical eye towards purchasing be the new norm or just a passing result of the economic downturn?’"