Leadpile’s Blog

In this economy consumers are being more conscientious of their spending habits.
Coupon sites are becoming more and more popular. Living in Los Angeles I know of four that I check regularly, Groupon being one of them. Groupon launched in November of 2008 and features daily deals for over 85 US cities. Most deals are at least 50% off, ranging from restaurants to clothing stores to different outdoor/indoor activities.

Here are some interesting facts about Groupon and their customers.

- Groupon has 9.1 million members
- They have sold over 8.9 million coupons
- 97% of the businesses that participate ask to be featured again
- 68% are between 18-34 years old
- 50% have a bachelor’s degree
- 49% are single
- 77% are women
- 75% have fill-time jobs
- 29% annual income is over $100,000

How many of you have used Groupon? What are your thoughts on coupon sites?

Many think of the new year as a time to start fresh and put the past behind you. This way of thinking may work in some circumstances, but in real life issues that is not always the case. Why you ask? Right when Americans think that the economy has hit rock bottom, it seems as if trends are going to dip down even further into quarter one of 2010. Homes are still expected to foreclose, banks are still going to hesitant about lending, and bailouts have still not personally touched consumers. With America still being on the downtrend, it is not a surprising that many consumers are still saving and spending less (either by choice or necessity).
It seems as if consumers are no longer embarassed, or think they are too good for using coupons, considering the redemption rate of manufacturer coupons were up 26% in the first three quarters of 2009. That is one of the many methods that consumers are utilizing to save a little money, along with not buying as many non-food items, going out for meals, and buying store brand products. Also, consumers have made changes like eating more chicken than beef because it tends to be less expensive.
With all consumer price cutting and shoppers being more aware of their purchases, are there any companies on the rise? Of course there are! As stated above, store brands are bringing in more revenue and are making sure that their shelves are stocked with their items. In some cases a store band product may be several dollars less expensive. Other types of companies that are doing well right now are the super stores (Costco, Sam’s Club, BJ’s, ect), dollar stores, and some online retailers.
Even though there are a lot of companies still in a down turn, it is nice to see that other companies and brands that may not be as popular, are now having THEIR time to shine.

For many of you, it still might be a little early to do your holiday shopping. When you do start your shopping many people may ask which is better; to shop online or to go to stores? In several cases it can really depend on numerous factors. Many people think of Black Friday as a kick off to the holiday shopping season. Consumers will wake up at four in the morning (myself included) to go and get the incredible deals that are being offered. Many of them even have a certain route that they will go to hit up the stores in a certain order to make sure they can get the best deals before everyone else.
But what about everyone who wants to get the great deals, but can not justify getting up at four in the morning to save a few bucks – just hop out of bed and shop online. More times than not, a consumer will be able to get the same deals that they would online as they would when going to the store. According to adweek.com“…buying online saves on trips to the store and gas expenses (53 percent) and makes it easier to compare prices between retailers online than in the store (51 percent), the other top-cited reasons all came back to convenience. The No. 1 reason for shopping online (69 percent) was that “when I buy online I can shop whenever I’d like,” while 57 percent of respondents said it “allows me to avoid the holiday shopping crowds at stores.”
Even though the convenience factor of shopping online is huge, it can make it a little more difficult as well. Since most of the holiday season is spent shopping for other people, consumers want to make sure that the products they are buying are the right size, ensure quality, and ask questions about the product to a sales associate. At the end of the day it all comes down to the consumer and which method of shopping they like better. I know that I usually do a combo of the two. Hard to find items I will purchase online, but toys I will go to the store. Below are some useful tips for when you go shopping this season:
1. Do your research before buying – Compare prices online to make sure you are getting the best deal out there
2. Look for the holiday specials – everywhere is having discounts so paying for full price should not be an option
3. When ordering online, always check for free shipping
4. Use coupons/coupon codes – If you are going to be buying a certain item there is no reason not to get percentage off. A lot of product coupon code can be found online just by doing a simple search
5. Know the return policy of the store/items just in case your item is not a hit
6. Make a list and stick to it – this will help prevent going over budget and buying unnecessary items

I hope that you find these few tips helpful and save you some money. Have a wonderful shopping season!

I wanted to follow up on a previous post where I had brought up some great websites to download some coupon codes.  Being that the holidays are here and people are trying to save as much much as possible, I thought I would point out an interesting article I found.

According to Yahoo, “In October, 27 million people visited a coupon site, according to comScore Media Metrix, up 33 percent from a year earlier.” However, Yahoo also states, “Generally, companies prefer limited discounts, e-mailed to a select group of customers or sent inside packages with a purchase. When the coupons get wider exposure, retailers lose control, potentially costing them more money than they expected.” In tough times, retailers are probably saying they were would rather not make as money on their sales, versus not having the sales at all. This is all great for the consumers who are doing the shopping.
A great tip that is offered on this article suggests, “searching the name of an online store and the word “coupon” and compare the promotions, because bigger sites are often able to negotiate better offers; if you find a coupon for an offline store, call the Web site and ask it to match the price; and insist upon free shipping, even if it means calling the manager and asking for a coupon code.”. This will allow you to pull up any sites that might contain a coupon for what it is you are looking for. A couple other coupon websites listed in this article: couponcode.com, couponmom.com, and couponcabin.com.
Leadpile Lead Exchange unfortunately has no coupons to offer you for certain products you are looking for, but we do offer the ability to match you up with companies that are able to provide services that are very much needed.