SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Green Hills shoppers who participated in a coupon application pilot spent more and shopped more often, preliminary results showed.
Single-store Green Hills in September distributed to 550 prechosen loyalty card holders keychain-size, optical scanners that let them scan manufacturers' coupons for download into their loyalty card account via their home PC or at the store.
Scanning coupons eliminates the need to clip and save coupons, and the scanned coupons are redeemable only at the store that distributes the scanner, so shoppers are induced to visit that store more often and buy more.
From Sept. 5 through Nov. 20, the test participants' total spending, excluding a $10 gift voucher, increased 7.58% over the same period a year ago, while their average per-household spending rose 4.41% and frequency rose 4.98%. Their manufacturer coupon spending jumped 27.47%, while storewide coupon spending rose just 6.46%, according to Scan Aps, the Los Angeles-based company that supplied the scanners.
The results of the six-week period compared with those of the 10-week period are "a good indication that the test participants are getting more comfortable with the coupon scanning device and technology with the passage of time," said Vijay Chetty, Scan Aps' president and chief executive officer.
Scan Aps will seek customer feedback through questionnaires and focus groups after the trial, which was slated to end Dec. 31. The company expected to conduct more trials this year with as yet unnamed stores, Chetty said.