New Study Proving Customers Loving Mobile-Based Coupons

It probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone, but it turns out that consumers really like coupons.

Mobile customers are proving no exception, as an eMarketer research report noted, as mobile users increasingly prefer coupons available through mobile devices.

The new word suggests that, in 2015, United States adult shoppers turned to mobile-based coupons 18 percent more often than in the previous year, and by the end of 2016, that number is expected to jump another 11 percent.

By the time it’s all said and done, that’s going to represent around 104 million mobile coupon users, and better yet, those users are buying more too.

An average 26 percent more, reports note, fills the online baskets of mobile shoppers who are likely feeling a pocket wealth effect from the savings coupons generate.

One study noticed an additional $314,000 in revenue stemming from mobile coupons. Coupons for beverages tend to do best, starting with energy drinks and declining to slightly less energy drinks like soda, juice and coffee, in that order.

Of further value to merchants out there is the revelation that 39 percent on average will spend more if they’ve received a coupon specifically personalized to them.

In the biggest twist of all, mobile coupons would cause 60 percent of respondents to adopt mobile payments, and if that doesn’t have mobile payments platform makers sitting up and paying attention, there’s a bigger problem afoot.

It all stems back to a point we’ve been making for some time out here: there’s a huge volume of potential mobile payment users out there; all they need is a reason to move, and “because it’s there, gee whiz!” doesn’t qualify.

Offering direct incentives like coupons—especially personalized coupons, though that could take a little while of data mining to find out just which coupons are best for a given situation—is just the kind of incentive that users will need to make the move away from cash and card to mobile payments.

Mobile payment platform makers have to remember one key point: users need a reason to jump ship, and once you get past the early adopters and those for whom the “gee whiz!” factor actually works, what’s left is one big body of potential users that need a more direct reason.

Coupons, and similar loyalty program efforts, are a great place to start.