What is in this article?:
- Regional Retailers Offer Groupon-Style Online Deals
- Pay for Performance
- Sidebar: Digital Coupons for Smaller Retailers
“For the manufacturers, there is no wasted distribution cost. They just pay for performance. They’re only paying when someone goes into the store and gets their product. That enables them to offer these larger discounts and get more people interested."
— Christopher Steiner, co-founder, Aisle50
Sidebar: Digital Coupons for Smaller Retailers
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Ric’s Food Center, a five-store operator here, fits the description of a small retailer who wants to offer digital CPG coupons but found that difficult to do until recently.
Over the past few months Ric’s has been able to offer up to 70 printable coupons on its website, ricsfoodcenter.com, shared by its five stores. This has been made possible by Coupons.com’s automated Brandcaster Retail program, a free self-service platform that enables retailers of any size to offer full digital coupon galleries on their websites, an ability previously available only to Coupons.com’s largest retailers.
Most significantly, Brandcaster Retail enables retailers to publish only those coupons that apply to the products they sell. “We were very interested in being able to have something on our webpage, but there was the risk of having just a bunch of [coupons] that were for food products that we didn’t carry,” said Monica Reynolds, co-owner, Ric’s Food Center. But under the new program, “once a week we look through and choose items that we think would be of interest to our consumers. It takes me five minutes to do it. It’s very simple. “
Coupons.com’s printable coupons have an average redemption rate of 18%, said Steven Boal, chief executive officer, Coupons.com.
Coupons.com also shares revenue with retailers when coupons are used from their sites. Retailers can also elect to feature display advertising from Coupons.com around their gallery and generate revenue on a per-impression basis.
Read more: Albertsons Runs Groupon Deal
For many larger retailers, Coupons.com manages the coupon gallery, removing coupons for unavailable products via file matching of the retailer’s item file, said Boal.
More than 55.7 million American consumers are now using online coupons, representing 25% of the U.S. population, up from 49 million in 2010, according to Coupons.com.

