News

Study: The US is a 'coupon nation'

August 21, 2013

The digital coupon site RetailMeNot.com today released an initial set of data from its first international survey measuring the couponing and shopping behaviors of consumers in 11 countries.

The survey, conducted with Ipsos Public Affairs, interviewed more than 10,000 respondents, including consumers in the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, India, Australia and China, the company said in a news release.

Among the findings were attitudes related to coupon usage. According to the survey, a majority of Americans (53 percent) said they value brands that offer coupons because coupons help them buy the things they want or need. Coupons are valued similarly by 52 percent of consumers surveyed in Canada, 50 percent in Great Britain, 48 percent in Germany, 47 percent in India and 31 percent in China.

Nearly half (48 percent) of consumers in the United States surveyed said that they use coupons proudly as a symbol of their savvy shopping skills. American pride in coupon usage also led the pack among all 11 countries surveyed.

American online shoppers are swayed by a good deal, trust and reviews, according to the survey findings.

More than half of shoppers surveyed in the U.S. and France (56 percent) admit that a deal, discount or sale influences their purchase decision versus 50 percent of consumers surveyed in India and only 36 percent in China.

The majority of consumers surveyed (63 percent) in the United Kingdom said that when shopping online, a deal, discount or sale influences their purchase decisions, followed by 58 percent of consumers surveyed in Australia and Germany.

"Retail watchers will be fascinated by consumer behaviors and attitudes about shopping and saving in some of the most active e-commerce countries around the world," said John Faith, senior vice president of external affairs for RetailMeNot. "We look forward to releasing even more data in the upcoming months that will help us to understand how U.S. consumers differ from others around the world."

Read more about consumer behavior.