State of the Discount 2021: The 101 Best Coupon Statistics and Trends

This is the ultimate roundup of statistics about coupons and discounting, so naturally the only way to start is by quoting mid-20th century German philosophical fiction.

Hermann Hesse, winner of the 1946 Nobel Prize for Literature, described the feeling of a first kiss in the novel Narcissus and Goldmund as such: “At the first kiss I felt something melt inside me that hurt in an exquisite way. All my longings, all my dreams and sweet anguish, all the secrets that slept deep within me came awake. Everything was transformed and enchanted, everything made sense.”

And that sounds amazing. But is it really as amazing as saving 25% on a bottle of dandruff shampoo with free shipping included?

The answer is obviously no. No it is not. 

A study by a neuroeconomist out of Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, Calif., found when shoppers received a great coupon, their oxytocin levels were an average of 38% higher than members of a control group who did not receive a coupon. That’s a bigger jump in oxytocin — the hormone associated with happiness — than the average person experiences during a fun night with friends, cuddling, or, yes, kissing. 

So while we’re not going to say coupons are better than love, the mere fact that you could see us trying to draw that conclusion is pretty wild. 

Here at SimplyCodes, we’re coupon people. We love coupons, quite possibly in an oxytocin-boosting way. We recognize the tremendous value of coupons to both shoppers and to the businesses providing those coupons. And the numbers back us up.

There have been countless studies on coupons, discounting, promo codes, and deals, and we dug through several hundred of those studies (and more than a few thousand stats) to find the 101 best coupon statistics — the ones which are the most eye-opening, jaw dropping, enlightening, interesting, significant, thought provoking, and/or actionable.

The eCommerce coupon code space: An overview

There are several studies on how many customers use coupons when they shop online — and the results are always “almost everyone.” Customers want discounts, and they’ll eagerly use coupon codes to get those discounts — and shop around to different stores and with different brands for the sake of better savings. 

How many customers use coupons when they shop online?

97% of shoppers say they always look for a deal when shopping. (Hawk Incentives)

94% of shoppers say they search for coupons or offers when shopping online. (Inc)

2020 saw a slight drop in the number of Americans using coupons, down to 88% from 94% in 2018 and 2019. The study included both in-person and online shoppers, however, so it’s possible the drop was due to people who exclusively or primarily shop in-store having far fewer opportunities to do so during the pandemic. (Statista)

The number of coupons customers used online nearly doubled in the five-year period from 2014 to 2019, from 16 billion coupons in 2014 to 31 billion five years later. (Invespcro)

Shoppers are projected to save approximately $91 billion while shopping online next year (2022) thanks to online coupons. (ClothingRIC) 

Digital coupon usage in the U.S. surpassed paper coupon usage for the first time ever in 2020. (RetailWire)

289 million Americans will have used a coupon at least once in their life by 2022. (ClothingRIC)

89% of people say using coupons saves them “a lot” of money. (Valassis)

How often do customers use discount codes?

The average American makes 52 online purchases per year, which means four or five opportunities per month to use a coupon. (Shopper)

45% of customers say they use coupons “very often”; another 32% use them “sometimes.” Only 8% say they never use coupons. (Valassis)

62% of customers say they “cannot” finish making a purchase online without hunting for a coupon. That jumps to 69% for millennials. (Inc)

19% of customers say they always use a coupon when they shop online, including 30% of millennials. (Statista)

38% of customers use a coupon on more than half of their online purchases. (Placed)

52% of people will only buy something online if they have a coupon. (Valassis)

Coupons factor into every stage of the purchasing journey

74% of Americans say getting a great deal is an important part of shopping — that’s the number one answer. 40% cited the availability of coupons and promotions as an important aspect of shopping. (Deloitte)

81% of customers think about getting a coupon (or using a coupon they already have) throughout the entire shopping journey. (Inc)

45% of people say they would shop online more if they could use more coupons. However, that stat is heavily skewed by just 25% of baby boomers saying more coupons would motivate them to do more online shopping. For millennials, 67% would do more online shopping with more coupons. (Valassis)

Coupon codes that don’t work can be a primary cause of cart abandonment. 46% of eCommerce customers have abandoned a cart because a discount or promo code didn’t work. (Sleeknote)

One in 12 customers who have abandoned a cart did so because they went hunting for a coupon code and couldn’t find one — so they never came back to finish checkout. (Barilliance)

Only 17% of customers say they haven’t altered their shopping behavior in any way in the past three months because of a coupon. Alterations can include buying something unplanned, buying from a store they otherwise wouldn’t have bought from, or switching brands. (Inmar) 

How coupons drive brand discovery, impulse purchasing, and conversions

It’s arguable that nothing affects our standard shopping routines quite like a good coupon. The right coupon will introduce us to new stores and products, motivate us to buy sooner than normal, and sometimes push us to buy massive quantities of stuff. (Because at 55% off, why wouldn’t we want a 72-pack of melon ballers?) These stats cover the various ways coupons change the velocity or trajectory of the purchasing journey.

How promo codes help customers discover new brands and products

80% of customers are motivated to make their first purchase with a new brand if they have a coupon or discount. That jumps to 88% for millennials. (Inc)

57% of customers say they would not have made their first purchase with a brand if they didn’t have a coupon code. (Vouchercloud)

68% of customers say coupons help build brand awareness. (Invespcro)

60% of shoppers say coupons led them to try new products, and 53% say coupons led them to a new brand. (Valassis)

Overall, 86% of customers are influenced by coupons to try new products and brands — and/or to buy the same products and shop from the same brands they’ve used in the past.  (Valassis)

85% of customers are willing to shop at multiple stores to find the best prices, and 82% are willing to switch stores to take advantage of deals. (Valassis)

36% of coupon users will choose to purchase items elsewhere based on coupon availability. (Blippr)

64% of customers say the best way to entice them to try a new product is with a coupon. (Valassis)

56% of customers get excited when they find a coupon on a new product or brand they haven’t tried before. (Valassis)

30% of shoppers have bought an alternative product (a different size, color, flavor, etc.) than they planned in the past three months because of a coupon. (Inmar)

How discount codes drive impulse purchases and conversions

Two-thirds of shoppers have made a purchase they weren’t originally planning to make specifically and exclusively because they found a coupon. (Inc)

60% of customers say receiving a coupon speeds up the decision to make a purchase. (Valassis)

82% of customers are influenced by promotions when shopping online, and more than one in three online purchases are directly influenced by a promotion. (Deloitte)

Half of customers say they’re more likely to visit a store if they’ve received a coupon. (Invespcro)

Online shoppers spend 24% more with a coupon code than without. (Blippr)

39% of shoppers say in the past three months, they’ve bought a larger quantity of something than they otherwise would have purchased — all because of a coupon. (Inmar)

Coupon code advice and strategy for eCommerce stores

This list has tons of stats (really useful and interesting stats, if we may editorialize for a moment) — but there’s a difference between reading through data and using it to take action with your own eCommerce business. In this section, we pulled the stats that can help guide your strategy as you think about when to offer coupons at your eCommerce store, what mediums to use to provide those discounts, and what impact coupons might have on your bottom line.

Using coupons for customer acquisition and customer retention

The average small business estimates 17.7% of their total business will come from new customer acquisition via coupons. (BIA/Kelsey)

93% of U.S. shoppers say discounts and offers are an important factor when it comes to buying from a brand. (Criteo)

More than three out of five customers actively seek out coupons over other types of promotions (like refunds). (Placed)

55% of people say they have a “more positive impression” of a brand that offers coupons. (Valassis)

43% of customers say they’re more likely to leave a positive review at a store that offered a coupon. (Valassis)

85% of customers have signed up for a store’s email list to get a coupon — the top motivation for subscribing (by far). (IDG)

68% of customers say coupons create brand loyalty. (Invespcro)

63% of businesses offer discounts year round, often in the form of coupon codes. (SheerID)

86% of shoppers want stores to highlight when they have a coupon available. (Inmar)

91% of people will visit a store again if they’re offered a coupon after their first visit or purchase. (Vouchercloud)

40% of shoppers say it bothers them when they just know there are deals out there and they might be leaving money on the table. (Hawk Incentives)

86.4% of shoppers become frustrated when they realize they missed out on using a coupon for a purchase — and one in three will hold it against the merchant. (Shopper)

Coupons lead to customers spending… more?

This may seem counterintuitive on the surface, but coupons don’t lead to customers spending less — in fact, 94% spend more at a store when they have a coupon. That includes 17% of people who usually spend at least $50 more than they planned. (Invespcro)

Merchants who offer coupons see 26% higher average order values from the customers who use those coupons. (Blippr)

There’s no real difference in a customer’s income and their desire to find or use coupons. 86% of people in households with $200,000-a-year income and up look for deals — similar to people at other income levels. (Hawk Incentives)

How customers hunt for coupons

Online shoppers want coupons, and many are willing to go on epic quests to try to find them. That can be precarious for merchants: After all, if a customer is on your site, about to check out, and decides to go on a journey to find a discount code, there’s no guarantee they’ll come back. 

How often customers hunt for coupons

The average American looks for a coupon online approximately every 11 to 12 days. (Shopper)

64% of customers look for coupons before shopping at a store. (Placed)

80% of customers are willing to go out of their way to find a great coupon or deal. (Hawk Incentives)

46% of customers regularly search multiple places to find coupons for the products they want to buy. (Valassis)

53% of online shoppers invest more than two hours a week looking for coupons, deals, and savings. Amongst millennials and moms, 25% spend more than four hours a week. (Business Wire)

Half of the time people spend searching for coupons online is “wasted” due to expired, deleted, old, or otherwise non-functional coupon codes. (Shopper)

Women are almost twice as likely as men to say they “rarely” or “never” fail in their quest to find a coupon code. (Shopper)

Where are the best places to find coupon codes?

The most popular places to hunt down coupons online are: Store websites (63% of customers look for coupons here); search engines (53%); coupon sites (52%); manufacturer or brand websites (48%); links from savings websites and blogs (44%); and social media sites (44%). (Valassis)

The most popular places to hunt down coupons on mobile are: Store apps (54%); cash back or reward points apps (39%); coupon apps (37%); in-store shopping rewards apps (37%); shopping list apps (30%); and deal comparison apps (30%). (Valassis)

41.6% of women and 32.3% of men have helped a friend or family member find a coupon code. (Shopper)

Email is the most preferred medium for finding coupons. (Blippr)

Around two out of five people will share a deal they get from a marketing email with friends. (ClothingRIC)

Seven out of 10 customers in a survey say they used a coupon sent to them via a marketing email in the previous week. (Retail Catalog)

81% of online shoppers like receiving marketing emails with sales and discounts. (Blippr)

93% of people say they’re likely to use at least some of the coupons they receive in their email. (ClothingRIC)

Marketing emails that contain a coupon have 14% higher open rates, 34% higher unique click-through rates, and 27% higher conversion rates. (Invespcro)

Emails with coupons also drive a 48% increase in revenue per email. (Invespcro)

77% of online shoppers follow brands on social media to learn about offers. (Blippr)

33% of customers follow a group or individual account on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter to find out about coupons. (Blippr)

74% of online shoppers have found out about a coupon glitch from social media and tried to take advantage of it. (Blippr)

Six out of 10 people have signed up to get coupons via text messages. (ClothingRIC)

17% of online shoppers use a browser extension to automatically find coupons. If you’re one of those shoppers, or interested in becoming one of those shoppers, definitely try out SimplyCodes. We have the most coupon codes (that actually work!) and cover more stores than anyone else. (Blippr)

The top benefits shoppers cite for using tools like browser extensions to find coupon codes are: Saves time (58.2%); doesn’t require looking in multiple places (19.2%); surfaces the best discount (12.8%); and helps when they wouldn’t be able to find the coupons on their own (9.7%). (Shopper)

What customers want from coupons — and how saving money makes us feel

It’s not exactly a huge mystery what customers want from discount codes: Customers want to save money. But there are nuances in when and why customers use coupons — and how those coupons make them feel.

What do customers want from a coupon?

The most appealing types of coupons are: Price discounts (95% of customers say these coupons appeal to them); free shipping (75%); free gifts with purchase (52%); loyalty points (32%); buy more, save more promotions (29%). (Deloitte)

The top five items women shop for online with coupons are: Fashion and accessories (73%); cosmetics and care products (63%); restaurants and food delivery (61%); food (59%); and FMCG (56%). (I’ve been in the eCommerce world for a long time and yet TIL what “FMCG” is. It stands for “fast moving consumer goods” and includes things like laundry detergent, paper towels, and toiletries.) (Statista)

The top five items men shop for online with coupons are: Restaurants and food delivery (64%); food (64%); consumer electronics (63%); fashion and accessories (61%); and media (60%). (Statista)

59% of shoppers think coupons should be easier to use. (Valassis)

49% wish coupons were easier to find. (Valassis)

74% of shoppers want coupons that offer a percentage-off deal. (Blippr)

Customers don’t have unrealistic expectations for the levels of discounts they’ll get from coupon codes. 43% of customers say it’s a good deal if they get a coupon for up to 25% off. (Vouchercloud)

Here’s how shoppers ranked the types of coupons they want: One-time-use 25% off a purchase (33%); 10% off multiple purchases (23%); free shipping (20%); a free gift with a $5 value (10%); early access to a sale (5%); upgraded loyalty status (4%). (SheerID)

Special exclusive offers are motivational for customers. 58% say an exclusive coupon would increase the chances they purchase; 40% would spend more overall; and 48% would purchase sooner. (SheerID)

Coupons and discounts make people happy — really happy

As we mentioned in the intro to this article, a study found customers who receive a coupon see a notable jump in their oxytocin levels. But that’s not all. Those customers also demonstrated tangible signs of stress reduction, including a 32% drop in respiration rates, a 5% drop in heart rate, and 20x less sweat on their palms. (Claremont Graduate University)

Customers who receive a coupon also feel 11% happier overall than customers who do not. (Claremont Graduate University)

69% of people feel “smart” when they use coupons. (Valassis)

Americans feel 3.1 times savvier when they find a coupon code that a store isn’t promoting on their site. (Shopper)

71% of customers say it’s exciting to discover a coupon or discount on a product they were already thinking of buying. (Valassis)

69% of shoppers get excited when they receive a coupon or discount while they're shopping for a specific item. (Valassis)

45% of shoppers say all their savings from coupons have allowed them to expand their budget to buy more “fun” things. (Valassis)

60% of people say they “love” receiving coupons. (Invesprco)

47% of customers say they feel excited when they get an exclusive offer like a coupon. (SheerID)

36% feel special, 34% feel honored, and 33% feel recognized. Those feelings are all associated with generating customer loyalty. (SheerID)

Trends and the future of coupons

Coupons aren’t going away… but they are going somewhere. These stats are a quick look into the crystal ball to see some of the trends in coupon codes and eCommerce discounting, including more personalization and automation.

Coupon personalization is growing in importance. 51% of customers say they have a better perception of brands that send relevant coupons and discounts. (Valassis)

67% of shoppers are in favor of personalized coupons, but one in five people has never received one. (Infosys)

47% of customers would like to receive real-time offers based on what they’ve been browsing online. (Oracle)

64% of people will give access to personal data for coupons and loyalty points. (Accenture)

When a customer gets an exclusive offer like a coupon, 48% will make a purchase sooner than they normally would, 41% will go hunting for something to buy just to use the offer, and 25% will spend more than they normally would. (SheerID)

The use of online coupons is projected to go up 56.5% by 2025. (Orian Research)

Brands are projected to deliver more than one billion coupons via chatbots by 2022. (Juniper Research)