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CouponsFrom spa treatments to cereal, coupons are vouchers shoppers can redeem for discounts on specific products or services as part of sales promotions distributed by mail or online. While the typical US household could save up to $1,465 per year by using coupons, businesses also benefit: Psychologically speaking, the perception of saving money often encourages customers to spend more overall than they otherwise would.
The first widely documented coupons are credited to Asa Candler, an early owner of the Coca-Cola Company, who in 1887 offered free glasses of his then-unknown soda. However, coupons weren’t necessarily commonplace in American life until the economic challenges many faced during the Great Depression accelerated their adoption.
93% of Americans have used a coupon in the past year. Digital coupon redemption overtook that of physical coupons for the first time in 2020. By 2024, 53.4% of redeemed coupons in the US were digital.Explore Coupons
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62% of online shoppers search for coupons or discount codes before making a purchaseCapital One estimates that 169.2 million Americans redeemed digital coupons in 2025. The bank compiled many different coupon statistics on how both shoppers and businesses used coupons last year, most of which reveal the increasing dominance of digital coupons over physical ones. Capital OneThe typical US household could lower its household costs by 6.4% by using couponsThe study looked at coupons for food, household items, entertainment, and clothing, as well as other expected expenses. The grocery store category offered the largest amount of savings at around $316 annually. ABCExpanding supermarket chains began offering coupons to attract customers in the 1940sThis was partially a customer acquisition strategy devised to lure customers into chains and away from their local independent grocers. Retail TouchpointsThe Paypal-owned Honey app and RetailMeNot are popular places consumers find digital coupons todayWith digital coupons overtaking physical ones as the most commonly redeemed coupons, customers flock to these sites and apps for coupons and discount codes, often checking multiple of them before making an online purchase. US NewsIn 2020 digital coupons accounted for 29.3% of all coupon redemptionsThat’s compared to 28% for physical coupons, representing the year the balance of power shifted in digital’s favor. The COVID-19 pandemic era’s lockdowns increased online shopping, which accelerated digital coupon adoption. Supermarket NewsSee an image of the earliest surviving coupons used in AmericaThis clip from the "Acquired" podcast shows an image of one of the original Coca-Cola coupons. The hosts argue that the coupons helped popularize Coca-Cola in its early days, making them a key component in the story of one of the world's most iconic brands. YouTubePaper coupon suppliers and major newspaper insert distributors are in declineGiven the uptick in digital coupon adoption, sellers who offered coupon inserts or individual coupons for sale online have been closing up shop in recent years. Coupons In the NewsA couple was once sent to prison for running a $31.8M extreme couponing fraud schemeInvestigators found fake coupons in “every crevice” of husband and wife duo Pacifico Talens Jr. and Lori Ann Talens’ home. The couple was sent to prison and are serving a combined 19 years. CNNBed Bath and Beyond’s 20% off coupon had a cult followingThe home goods store’s most fervent fans loved these coupons so much that some bought them in batches on eBay. The FBI even reportedly found one of these big blue coupons in famous mobster Whitey Bulger’s junk drawer. (Some users may experience a paywall.) The New York TimesRegular coupon users pay less attention to the actual price of what they’re buyingThe psychology of coupon users can feel counterintuitive: Research suggests regular coupon users actually prioritize coupon availability over actual price comparisons. Psychology TodayFrom 2011 to 2012, a show about ‘Extreme Couponing’ aired on TLCThe television show gave viewers an inside look at the lives of Americans who treated couponing like an extreme sport. These people would often stockpile hundreds of products they acquired via deals found on coupons in their homes. YouTubeAn estimated 91% of all Americans had used a coupon at least once as of 2022Coupon use accelerated during the Great Depression, when the US unemployment rate reached nearly 25 percent. While coupons were invented in the late 1800s, they became more popular during the Depression as a way to stretch household budgets during the era’s economic hardships. Companies soon began distributing coupons via newspapers and women’s magazines. HISTORYThe word ‘coupon’ comes from a French word meaning ‘to cut’The history of coupons starts in the US with the Coca-Cola coupon that was mailed to consumers, offering them a chance to come try the soda for free in a nearby pharmacy. A coupon created by cereal company Post is one of the earliest widely cited follow-ups—it offered a penny off a box of Grape Nuts in 1909. CNBC'Buy one, get one free' is a clever way to get you to spend more moneyOne Burger King diner recently saw the price of her $2.16 sandwich rise to $3.19 per sandwich when she used a buy-one-get-one-free (or BOGO) coupon. Naturally, she became suspicious about how good a deal BOGO really is. This video explains why BOGO deals are a way for companies to get you to spend more money, rather than less. VoxA Thanksgiving meal was celebrated in Virginia in 1619Although the Pilgrims' meal with the Wampanoag is often cited as "the first Thanksgiving," historians note a meal intended to mark "a day of thanksgiving to Almighty god" was celebrated by early settlers three years earlier. President John F. Kennedy acknowledged the day in his 1963 Thanksgiving proclamation. Virginia Museum of History & CultureTrader Joe's breaks every rule of modern retailThe successful grocer doesn't do e-commerce, delivery, or coupons. And yet Americans are still obsessed with Trader Joe's. SpotifyHow the World Bank's pandemic bonds were triggered during COVID-19In 2017, the World Bank raised a chunk of emergency funds through bonds to help developing countries cover funds in the event of a pandemic. Had no pandemic occurred, investors would have received returns of 6% to 11%. But the global pandemic meant they lost all their money. UK GovernmentTemu uses gamification techniques to encourage customers to shop on its appGames include a spinning roulette wheel that offers coupon rewards, promises free delivery, and more. Some have said it’s tough to pull themselves out of the Temu ecosystem once they’re in it. BBCHow Queen Elizabeth wielded power through fashionOver seven decades, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom used what she wore to communicate both herself and her duties. Her style evolved over time, culminating in her final decades with "color-blocking" ensembles, where each piece was of the same exact, bright hue. Harper's BAZAARGroupon was a digital coupon platform popular in the 2010sRemember when everyone you knew seemed to have a Groupon for something? In August 2010, Forbes called the digital coupon platform the “fastest growing company ever.” However, the business model had some flaws: One analysis found that only an estimated 20% of Groupon buyers returned for full-price purchases. The Hustle'Buy one, get one free' is often a clever way to get you to spend more moneyOne Burger King diner recently saw the price of her $2.16 sandwich rise to $3.19 per sandwich when she used a buy-one-get-one-free (or BOGO) coupon. Naturally, she became suspicious about how good a deal BOGO really is. This video explains why BOGO deals are a way for companies to get you to spend more money, rather than less. VoxZero-coupon bonds have no regular interest dates over the length of the loanInstead, they pay all the interest at once when the bond hits its maturity date. These bonds aren’t the right investment for everyone, but they do carry some pros, like a lower initial investment cost. Kiplinger
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