The coupon industry has been around for quite some time. Everyone loves to save money, some more than others as seen on recent television shows based solely on the subject of couponing. Although they have been around for decades, traditional print coupons are now starting to evolve along with available modern technology. Many retailers now use electronic coupon services, negating the need for consumers to purchase a newspaper or go online, print and cut paper coupons and then carry them around in their wallets. Those extra steps often dissuade consumers from obtaining the coupon, or if they do go through the process of obtaining them, they often forget to bring them when they head to store to shop.

This may not seem like a problem as most consumers ultimately end up still shopping at your store, but the purpose of the coupons is to instill a sense of favorability in the consumer and have them come to your store versus others because they associate lower prices and high value with your brand. If they are not reaping any benefits by coming to your store because the coupon process is too outdated, these consumers can easily be swept up by another retailer with a more innovative process. Fortunately, electronic and mobile coupons are easy to implement into your business, and you can work to increase
the loyalty of your customers simultaneously.

Shop around for an electronic loyalty program that you would like to set up for your business. These programs work by having your shoppers select a credit or debit card that they often use to shop with, and register it to their profile in the loyalty program. After they do this, every time they shop with that card in your store, your POS system recognizes it and adds points to the account of that shopper. Once a shopper reaches a threshold of points that you designate (maybe after spending $50 in purchases, or visiting your store for the 6th time), they receive an electronic coupon that is automatically taken off of their purchase at the point-of-sale. This added aspect of mobility is a reason that electronic coupon services are so popular; there is no need to purchase a newspaper and hunt for deals. Instead, consumers can register with a form of payment that they already regularly use for payment, accrue points and receive automatic rewards.

This form of loyalty program brings about a sense of instant gratification and reduces the amount of work that shoppers have to do in order to receive a reward. These programs also provide you with valuable data that lets you know who your most frequent shoppers and how much money they tend to spend on each visit. By following the natural purchasing tendencies of shoppers and developing a program that caters to them, it increases the probability that shoppers will utilize your program and become loyal customers. Again, everyone loves to save money, and electronic coupon services entwined with an electronic loyalty card program is a great way to help them do this. They will see your business as one that operates with a sense of innovation and care for creating value for its shoppers - which is a great association to have.