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CONFUSING COUPONS TIED TO MISREDEMPTIONS

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Brand marketers can help reduce coupon misredemption by sharply curtailing or eliminating hard-to-handle coupons, according to an official with the Food Marketing Institute."The hard-to-handle coupons are those that are free, either/or, multiple purchase, buy-one-get-one, one flavor only, or something else that is confusing," said Anne Lightburn, director of industry relations

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Brand marketers can help reduce coupon misredemption by sharply curtailing or eliminating hard-to-handle coupons, according to an official with the Food Marketing Institute.

"The hard-to-handle coupons are those that are free, either/or, multiple purchase, buy-one-get-one, one flavor only, or something else that is confusing," said Anne Lightburn, director of industry relations at Washington-based FMI.

"These are hard to handle because the consumer has a hard time understanding the terms of the condition, and they are also asking the clerk to understand that the offer is one of those by doing a physical inspection," she said.

Lightburn addressed an audience of coupon processors, manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers at the Association of Coupon Processors' 1996 Spring Conference and Industry Forum held in late March here. She discussed the results of the FMI 1995 Coupon Scanning Survey.

Lightburn said at 8.9%, the misredemption rates for these types of coupons is almost double the 4.7% exhibited by "normal" cents-off coupons.

"These [hard-to-handle] coupons drive up misredemption rates regardless of what steps retailers take because they are confusing to the consumer and the clerks.

"If it is a free offer that is totally outside of the system, it is confusing to all parties."

Lightburn said the Joint Industry Coupon Committee has to get the word out to manufacturers about the problem.