Trade Groups Issue Digital Coupon Guidelines

WASHINGTON — The Food Marketing Institute, Grocery Manufacturers Association and National Grocers Association released free guidelines designed to promote model practices in digital couponing and reduce the incidence of coupon fraud.

Produced by the Joint Industry Coupon Committee (JICC), “Voluntary Guidelines for Digital Coupons” shares model digital coupon practices in order to promote a positive experience for consumers, proper settlement for retailers and effective and well-controlled promotions for manufacturers.

The guidelines highlight the key distinctions between digital and paper coupons, including the presence of barcode data, distribution methods, consumer acquisition and presentment, purchase validation and offer set-up at point of sale.  

“Retailers have long appreciated the popularity coupons have with consumers as means of increasing their purchasing power,” said Leslie Sarasin, president and chief executive officer of Food Marketing Institute, in a statement. “Digital coupons add a welcomed high-tech layer of ease to the couponing adventure, but also introduce new possibilities of fraud that this set of guidelines seeks to address, keeping coupon use fair and simple for all consumers.”

The guidelines are available at http://bit.ly/X4TUQb

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