Number of manufacturers distributing digital coupons on these websites increased 15.2 percent

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, November 1, 2012 – Digital coupon events across key websites monitored by Marx, a Kantar Media solution, increased by 30.5 percent in the first nine months of 2012 as compared to the same period in 2011.  More than 681 manufacturers distributed digital coupon offers on these key websites during the first nine months of 2012, an increase of 15.2 percent as compared to the same period in 2011. 

“Digital coupons continue to deliver value as part of the overall promotional plans for CPG manufacturers,” stated David Hamric, General Manager, Kantar Media Marx.  “Marx, the industry leader in both digital and print free-standing insert (FSI) coupon intelligence, continues to deliver valuable competitive insights on key websites for our clients, giving them an advantage in their integrated promotion planning across multiple print and digital platforms to stay aware and ahead of their competitors.” said Hamric.

(1) Digital Share of Activity is based on Number of Events (NOTE:  Sum of all Areas may be greater than 100% due to
events which include more than one Area)
(2) Digital Face Value and Face Value Per Unit are averaged values
Food Areas: Cereals, Dry Grocery, Frozen Products, Refrigerated Foods, and Shelf Stable Beverages
Non Food Areas: Health Care, Household Products, Other Packaged Goods and Personal Care
Source: Kantar Media

For the first nine months of 2012, Food Areas represented 50.9 percent of digital coupon events, while Non-Food Areas represented 50.6 percent (NOTE:  Sum of all Areas may be greater than 100 percent due to events which include more than one Area).  The Dry Grocery Area leads within both the Food areas and across all areas in share of activity at 25.7 percent during the first nine months of 2012.  This is an increase of 1.6 points over the same nine months in 2011. The Personal Care Area leads in Non-Food with a 20.0 percent share of activity, a decrease of 0.9 points from the same nine months in 2011.

Website Engagement and Traffic for Retailer Websites
Many retailers engage with their shoppers online through their retailer websites including the use of digital coupon sections on these websites.  One way to help retailers measure the number of shoppers reached by their website is the Unique Visitors metric, which counts a person visiting a website only once no matter how many times that person goes to a website or a website section.

To illustrate these points, three retailer websites were evaluated during September 2012.  Among these three, Walmart.com had the greatest number of Unique Visitors at 58.2MM.  In comparison, Target.com had just more than half that number of Unique Visitors at 36.8MM.  Walmart.com reached more shoppers than Target.com based on Unique Visitors during this period.

However, we see a different dynamic when we compare the Unique Visitors for the coupon section of each retailer website.  The coupon section of Walmart.com (coupons.walmart.com) received 464,368 Unique Visitors equating to less than 1.0 percent of the Unique Visitors for Walmart.com, while the coupon section of Target.com (coupons.target.com) attracted more than 1.6MM Unique Visitors equating to more than 4.3 percent of the Unique Visitors for Target.com.   Target.com attracted more Unique Visitors to its coupon section that may be planning a specific shopping trip to Target.

In contrast to these two national mass merchandisers, Publix, a regional retailer, attracted 1.5MM Unique Visitors to their Publix.com website and 686,198 Unique Visitors to the coupon section of their website (weeklyad.publix.com), equating to 46.1 percent of all Publix.com Unique Visitors.  Additionally, Unique Visitors to the coupon section of the Publix.com website had 1.96 Visits Per Visitor during September, which is greater frequency than both Walmart and Target. 

Source: Compete
Unique Visitors: Only counts a person once no matter how many times they visit a site in a given month.

“Retailers want to reach shoppers in the home when they are developing lists and planning trips.  Clearly, digital coupon offers on a retailer website are a proven tactic to engage shoppers at a key stage on their paths-to-purchase,” said Dan Kitrell, Vice President, Account Solutions, Kantar Media Marx.  ”Even though Walmart.com had a greater number of Unique Visitors, a greater percentage of Publix.com Unique Visitors engaged with the coupon section of the retailer website to take advantage of specific purchase incentives. For manufacturers, understanding not just the number of shoppers visiting a retailer website, but rather the number of shoppers that may actually be influenced by digital coupon offers, may provide new insights into competitive promotion tactics and sales impact,” continued Mr. Kitrell.

“Shoppers engage with retailer websites when they are developing lists and planning trips.  Retailers that offer digital coupons on their websites provide their shoppers incremental value and savings.  This increased level of shopper engagement provides an opportunity for retailers and manufacturers to partner and deliver the right value and incentive directly to shoppers.” concluded Kitrell.

About Kantar Media
Kantar Media provides strategic advice and competitive intelligence to the world’s leading brands, publishers, agencies and industry bodies, helping them navigate and succeed in a rapidly evolving media industry. This includes analysis of paid media opportunities; counsel on brand reputation, corporate management and consumer engagement through owned media; and, evaluating consumers’ reactions in earned media.  Kantar Media provides clients with a broad range of insights from audience research, competitive intelligence, vital consumer behavior and digital insights, to marketing effectiveness and online influence. Our experts currently work with 22,000 companies tracking 3 million brands in 50 countries. www.KantarMediaNA.com