Free Grocery Coupons Assume A Higher Profile During Tough Economic Times - Paperless Grocery Coupons Provides Real Value

Why free grocery coupons? Free grocery coupons are an easy way for families to cut their grocery bills with sacrificing the foods they love to eat. Whether it's high gas prices or the rising cost of bread and milk, the cost of basic household staples continue to move higher and everyone managing a limited household budget has use for a good bargain and as many ways to save money on their purchases as possible, in our opinion. Online grocery coupons provide an often overlooked budget saving resource for those with busy work schedules. Online grocery coupons allow individuals to put away the scissors and print coupons on their computers, making saving on groceries more of a snap.

Finding free grocery coupons has become more than a national pastime, in our opinion. We believe that in the current economic environment, finding and using free grocery coupons has become a national necessity. According to ABC News, shoppers saved almost $3 billion with free grocery coupons in 2004. While that is a substantial sum of food savings or grocery savings, it pales in comparison to the $315 billion worth of free grocery coupons that were never used. According to the same source, only about 2% of free grocery coupons are used by consumers and turned into grocery savings. These figures have not changed dramatically in more recent years. One explanation for why grocery shoppers may clip coupons, but do not use free coupons could be the harried pace of life as shoppers become overloaded with information. Another reason that grocery shoppers may clip coupons and not use free coupons could simply be forgetfulness. Regardless of the reason, many shoppers continue to miss the opportunity to save on groceries and to save on household goods with free coupons.

While the majority of national grocery food chains and drug store chains have created customer loyalty or grocery savings programs to allow shoppers to lower grocery bills, anecdotal evidence suggests that regularly scanning for free grocery coupons can help shoppers save money on groceries and save money on grocery bills. Pundits have even estimated that the average household of four (two adults and two children) can save 25% on their grocery bills annually by wisely using free grocery coupons. That save on grocery bills figure represents an annually food savings of $2,400 a year based on an $800 a month grocery bill. The takeaway here is that shoppers can lower their grocery bills by taking the time to find grocery coupons and remembering to bring those same free grocery coupons when they shop for food.

Traditionally, shoppers have looked to free shoppers or grocery coupon magazines to find valuable savings. These traditional bargain hunting techniques included Sunday grocery coupon inserts and grocery circulars. While these coupon techniques can be very useful, using the Internet to find free grocery coupons can supplement these other efforts. The rapid migration of online grocery coupons has provided an efficient resource for those looking for a relatively easy way to save on food. With a few mouse clicks and a printer, a shopper can easily find free grocery coupons daily.
We expect the technological evolution of free grocery coupons to stretch beyond online coupons and into mobile media as marketers seek new ways to entice shoppers to remain loyal to their brands even in tough times. We expect free coupons to remain widely available and believe that as tough economic times continue consumers will both clip coupons and will use these free coupons wherever the opportunity to save on groceries is present.