MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--All those paper coupons that mostly end up in the trash come with hefty price. In addition to the billions of dollars that brands spend to distribute roughly 275 billion paper coupons a year, producing all these coupons costs more than 13 million trees their lives, according to data compiled by Borrell Associates for Quotient Technology, Inc. (NYSE: QUOT).
Just how many trees is that? Enough to circle the planet, with each tree standing 10 feet apart. Or the equivalent of cutting down every tree in New York’s Central Park – 514 times. So as you think about Earth Day this year, here’s an easy way to save money and do a little something for the planet: Go digital with your coupons.
“‘Go green, go digital’ should be everyone’s motto this Earth Day,” said Jeanette Pavini, Savings Expert for Coupons.com, Quotient’s flagship consumer app and website. “Savings apps provide easy-to-use tools to source digital coupons to use at your favorite grocery and retail stores. You can save hundreds of dollars a year while saving trees. Now that’s a winning combination.”
In some ways, it’s remarkable that paper coupons have stuck around so long, especially considering how less effective they are than digital coupons. While more than 290 billion coupons in total were distributed last year, according to NCH Marketing Services, just 1.3% of those were digital. But digital easily beats out paper when it comes to redemption rates -- more than 10% for digital versus less than 1% for paper.
That’s a compelling business case. Quotient continues to lead the industry shift to digital, as mobile-obsessed shoppers want their offers personalized and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies and retailers increasingly are turning to digital to engage with shoppers via their smartphones. Last year alone, shoppers using apps and websites powered by Quotient selected a record 3.5 billion digital offers -- the equivalent of 6,747 every minute.
The newspaper industry is also doing its part to help out, although hardly by choice. Those Sunday papers that once came stuffed with coupons are becoming less common. Circulation of Sunday papers fell 9% to 38 million in 2016, according to Pew Research -- the lowest level since 1945.
For a host of reasons, using digital coupons make sense. And remember, 13 million trees will thank you.
To start using digital coupons today, download the Coupons.com app.
About Quotient Technology
Quotient Technology Inc. (NYSE: QUOT) is a leading digital promotions, media and analytics company that delivers personalized digital coupons and ads—informed by proprietary shopper and online engagement data—to millions of shoppers daily. Our core platform, Quotient Retailer iQ™, connects to a retailer’s point-of-sale system and provides targeting and analytics for consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands and retailers. Retailer iQ powers savings programs that reach about 40% of all U.S. households. Our distribution network also includes our Coupons.com app and website, thousands of publishing partners and, in Europe, the Shopmium mobile app. We also operate Crisp Mobile, which creates mobile ads aimed at shoppers. We serve hundreds of CPGs, such as Clorox, Procter & Gamble, General Mills and Kellogg’s, and retailers like Albertsons Companies, CVS, Dollar General, Kroger and Walgreens. Founded in 1998, Quotient is based in Mountain View, California, and has offices across the U.S., in Bangalore, India; Paris and London. Learn more at Quotient.com, and follow us on Twitter @Quotient.
Quotient, Quotient Retailer iQ and Shopmium are trademarks of Quotient Technology Inc. All other marks are owned by their respective owners.