Customize Your Discount Coupons

Sam’s Club is rolling out a program in which a shopper is issued discount coupons customized to that shopper’s likely purchasing interests. The program, called eValues, requires data collection and analysis that might be beyond the scope of what your store is able or willing to do. Still, there’s a trend here to learn from.
     Actually, it's a confluence of two trends: A recent Harris Interactive survey found that coupon use is spreading to the point where many shoppers hesitate going to a store unless they have coupons to apply to at least part of their planned purchases. And a great deal of research indicates shoppers are increasingly expecting retailers to customize. The combination of these two means you can benefit from customizing your discount coupons.

• You’ll increase effectiveness when you get customized coupons into the hands of the customer before they start their product selection. For instance, researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that coupons presented at the store entrance drive up sales much more than do coupons available in the aisles of stores. The Sam’s Club eValues coupons are provided by a machine at the store entrance. The shopper inserts an identification card, which allows the customizing. Many grocery store chains issue discount coupons, good for future purchases, on the back of the customer’s receipt, again allowing for offering the discount before the shopping starts and for customizing, in this case based on the nature of the customer’s prior purchases. What would work for you to make each customer feel special by getting the right coupons before they start their shopping?
• With customized coupons, it does become especially important to protect your business against coupon fraud. Develop a coding mark or system to allow staff and/or cash registers to distinguish genuine from counterfeit. Train sales and cash/wrap staff to screen for evidence of fraud. Also train staff to treat customers with the utmost courtesy if fraud is suspected. The customer might believe they are using a valid coupon. If they learn they are not, they’ll be upset enough at not getting money off. Don’t add to the upset by accusing them of dishonesty.

Click below for more:
Give Coupons Early and Proudly
Have Staff Carry Copies of Store Ads