The Cheapskate's Guide to the Internet

Learn to save Big money online with these secret online coupon codes! Up to 60% off of major brands of computers, electronics, home products and more.

Check it out!

The Problem With Online Coupons - Why Using Coupons on the Internet Could Be Hurting Your Business

Traditionally, advertising with coupons has been an excellent way to capture new customers and retain existing customers. Using the Internet, promoting your business with coupons has become quicker, cheaper and easier than ever before. Unfortunately, Internet coupons for "Brick and Mortar" businesses may have become ineffective and quite possibly have a negative impact on your business if not used properly. The reasons for this are as follows:

1. Printing coupons from the Internet is like printing money, it devalues the coupons for the customer as well as for the merchant.

Coupons really are a form of currency. They are an agreement between the customer and the merchant. The merchant uses the coupon to say, "I will give you a discount or a special deal, and in return you will patronize my business." This is the basic give and take relationship that the coupon establishes and works very well, but only if there is just one coupon at a time.

The problem with most Internet coupons is that they are infinitely redeemable. Most of the time, patrons can print Internet coupons as many times as they want so that they can effectively receive the same discount every time they go to that merchant. If we were all able to print money from our computers in the same way, then our currency would instantaneously lose all of its value. By using printable coupons this way, the customer reduces the value in his or her mind of the products that the coupon applies to and therefore the coupons themselves. The merchant on the other hand must devalue the coupon similarly since it is no longer effective in creating a "give and take" relationship but rather just permanently discounts their products or services.

2. Having coupons always available further devalues them. If they are always there for the taking, then there is no urgency to go get them.

Similar to the point above, having a coupon always available to print off or redeem has the same effect as printing off hundreds of copies. Traditional print coupons have always been distributed periodically in a newspaper, magazine, postal mail, etc. This meant that you were only going to receive one and only one of those coupons until the next periodical was distributed. Therefore, if you had any sort of interest in possibly using that coupon in the future, then you would cut out the coupon at that moment and be ready to use it. With Internet coupons, knowing that you can always revisit a website and print off a coupon whenever the need arises has the effect of also making the coupon worthless. This is because, (a) most will forget that they ever saw the coupon and will therefore never go back to print it off and (b) most importantly, the coupon loses its promotional value of trying to get someone to take action now.

3. Most coupons on the Internet are on a "pull" model instead of a "push" model.

When customers have to go out and get coupons, instead of the coupons being "pushed" out to the customer, then they only get used by the true coupon frugal fanatics and not by first time customers or customers who have forgotten about you. Again, traditional coupons have always been sent "pushed" out to prospective customers and therefore acted as a great way to proactively promote businesses.

Also, Internet coupons on a "pull" model, where customers must visit a coupon website and see what coupons are available, have no market testing value. One of the greatest advantages of marketing with coupons since they were first studied by Claude Hopkins in the early 20th century, was to be able to scientifically test marketing messages by "pushing" out the coupons and then tracking the ones that came back to you. Although this could still theoretically be done in a "pull" type scenario, the benefit of the "push" test system is that you could send out your message to a specific number of recipients within a specific time period and then receive back a specific statistical sample to draw conclusions from.

The Right Way to Use Internet Printable Coupons

The solution to "The Problem with Online Coupons" is to use the Internet to distribute your coupons while eliminating the issues stated above.

First, use an email marketing solution. Sending coupons in email solves the "push vs. pull" problem by delivering coupons to specific group of people who have opted-in to receiving updates and specials from your business. Sending coupons via email also solves the problem of having coupons always available. Email allows businesses to mimic and even surpass the benefits of traditional print periodicals. Businesses can test to find the ideal sending frequency that keeps their business in the forefront of their customer's minds while also maintaining a sense of urgency and timeliness. Also, make sure to use expiration dates and/or "print by" dates to further increase the sense of urgency.

Next, incorporate a secure "one-time" printing system for coupon distribution. This will allow each email recipient of your coupons to be able to print them once and only once for each coupon sent. This may seem somewhat trivial or possibly even petty, but the reality is that coupons that can only be used once allows the merchant to be more comfortable with promoting bigger discounts and better deals while at the same time giving the customer higher perceived and actual value of the coupon.

Using these tools will allow you to not only dramatically cut advertising costs compared to traditional print coupon advertising but also allow you to use coupon advertising in the best ways possible. Actively promote your business to new and existing customers while using scientific testing to discover the best possible marketing messages for your business' success. Create a real marketplace for your coupons and their value will increase to everyone who uses them.

Scott Knight is Founder and CEO of ZoomDeals.com, an email service provider for small and local businesses focused on secure printable coupon distribution. ZoomDeals is an innovative combination of a powerful do-it-yourself email marketing platform and a unique cross-promotional network of printable coupons that are searchable within a geographic area.

5 Ways to Use Internet Coupons to Help You Save More Money Everyday

During these tough economic times more and more people are learning how to save more money and where to look for the best deals. It has also brought some well deserve attention to internet coupons and how they can help you save even more money on almost all of your purchases. That's why I thought I would share my own ideas on the different ways you can utilize internet coupons and the different types of internet coupons that are available online.

Internet Coupons are not just for groceries or to be used just by women or moms anymore. In fact, internet coupons are now available for almost every category including; Automotive, Baby and Kids Items, Clothing, Movie DVDs, Electronics, Home Improvement, Health & Fitness, Pet Supplies, Sports Equipment, Toys, Travel and much more. Internet Coupons should also be thought of as your instant discounts or sales at your finger tips. They can also be your way of getting that better brand or higher priced product you always wanted for close or even at the same price as the generic (Something you can surely tout to your neighbor about). What is even better is that internet coupons can be easily found and they are now offered by almost every brand name out there.

When it comes to using internet coupons you need to know that there several types of coupons and in most cases they can be used together to get even deeper discounts. Here are 5 types and ways to use Internet Coupons;

1.) Use Internet Coupon Links which offer a percentage off, buy one get one free, free shipping, etc. These links will lead to a retailer or brand name site. By clicking on these links, the retailer site will recognize your computer and automatically add the discount or in most times show the discount during check out.

2.) Use Internet Coupon Codes, aka, "promo codes", "promotional codes", "discount codes", "free shipping code". These internet coupon codes usually specify a series of numbers and/or letters to be used during check out to receive anything from percentage off, free shipping, free sample and more. The coupon codes typically look like "JUST4MOM", "50FREE" or "MYBDAY" and can be found on various sites.

3.) Use Form Based Internet Coupons. These coupon forms or offers can be found after registering for a site or by clicking on a banner. These coupons can be tricky and are not always valid offers, but some are and some have great offers. The trick with these coupons is using your common sense, if the offer says anything like "Free plasma" or "Free Gift Card" by filling in your email address and some info. You can bet your paycheck that you are not getting anything, only lots and lots of junk email. Good offers typically have long forms, like a typical survey, and are usually attached to a known brand.

4.) Use Printable Internet Coupons. This type can be found on retailer sites, manufacturer sites and on coupon specialty sites. Printable coupons are like the ones you find in the news paper, but better. These coupons are now offered big brand name electronics stores, local hardware stores, auto part manufacturers, restaurants, ski mountains, service mechanics and much more. They can be printed out from your home printer and can be used in most cases in conjunction with sales and even other coupons.

5.) Post Purchase Internet Coupons and/or sign up for coupons, aka, "rebates", "ebates", "future offers", "frequent flyer type", etc.. These types of coupons are great, not only with rebate type offers will you get money back in the mail, but you can also opt in for future specials, sales, discounts and more. I usually sign up to brands I like and coupon sites who feature good brands.

Learning how to save a buck or two has become quite popular these days and fortunately there are many ways you can very easily save. Internet coupons can help you save on everything from groceries, clothing, sports equipment and even get you free shipping on all of your purchases. The best thing to remember is to always try to combine these savings when making your purchase. In a lot of cases you can find a sale or low price, click on a percentage off link, add a coupon code at check out and use a rebate you found online. Use these 5 ways to saving money with internet coupons and you'll see why it has become such a craze.

The Coupon Dad .com is devoted to helping consumers save more money with valuable internet coupons and tips on how to save more money.

The Problem With Online Coupons - Why Using Coupons on the Internet Could Be Hurting Your Business

Traditionally, advertising with coupons has been an excellent way to capture new customers and retain existing customers. Using the Internet, promoting your business with coupons has become quicker, cheaper and easier than ever before. Unfortunately, Internet coupons for "Brick and Mortar" businesses may have become ineffective and quite possibly have a negative impact on your business if not used properly. The reasons for this are as follows:

1. Printing coupons from the Internet is like printing money, it devalues the coupons for the customer as well as for the merchant.

Coupons really are a form of currency. They are an agreement between the customer and the merchant. The merchant uses the coupon to say, "I will give you a discount or a special deal, and in return you will patronize my business." This is the basic give and take relationship that the coupon establishes and works very well, but only if there is just one coupon at a time.

The problem with most Internet coupons is that they are infinitely redeemable. Most of the time, patrons can print Internet coupons as many times as they want so that they can effectively receive the same discount every time they go to that merchant. If we were all able to print money from our computers in the same way, then our currency would instantaneously lose all of its value. By using printable coupons this way, the customer reduces the value in his or her mind of the products that the coupon applies to and therefore the coupons themselves. The merchant on the other hand must devalue the coupon similarly since it is no longer effective in creating a "give and take" relationship but rather just permanently discounts their products or services.

2. Having coupons always available further devalues them. If they are always there for the taking, then there is no urgency to go get them.

Similar to the point above, having a coupon always available to print off or redeem has the same effect as printing off hundreds of copies. Traditional print coupons have always been distributed periodically in a newspaper, magazine, postal mail, etc. This meant that you were only going to receive one and only one of those coupons until the next periodical was distributed. Therefore, if you had any sort of interest in possibly using that coupon in the future, then you would cut out the coupon at that moment and be ready to use it. With Internet coupons, knowing that you can always revisit a website and print off a coupon whenever the need arises has the effect of also making the coupon worthless. This is because, (a) most will forget that they ever saw the coupon and will therefore never go back to print it off and (b) most importantly, the coupon loses its promotional value of trying to get someone to take action now.

3. Most coupons on the Internet are on a "pull" model instead of a "push" model.

When customers have to go out and get coupons, instead of the coupons being "pushed" out to the customer, then they only get used by the true coupon frugal fanatics and not by first time customers or customers who have forgotten about you. Again, traditional coupons have always been sent "pushed" out to prospective customers and therefore acted as a great way to proactively promote businesses.

Also, Internet coupons on a "pull" model, where customers must visit a coupon website and see what coupons are available, have no market testing value. One of the greatest advantages of marketing with coupons since they were first studied by Claude Hopkins in the early 20th century, was to be able to scientifically test marketing messages by "pushing" out the coupons and then tracking the ones that came back to you. Although this could still theoretically be done in a "pull" type scenario, the benefit of the "push" test system is that you could send out your message to a specific number of recipients within a specific time period and then receive back a specific statistical sample to draw conclusions from.

The Right Way to Use Internet Printable Coupons

The solution to "The Problem with Online Coupons" is to use the Internet to distribute your coupons while eliminating the issues stated above.

First, use an email marketing solution. Sending coupons in email solves the "push vs. pull" problem by delivering coupons to specific group of people who have opted-in to receiving updates and specials from your business. Sending coupons via email also solves the problem of having coupons always available. Email allows businesses to mimic and even surpass the benefits of traditional print periodicals. Businesses can test to find the ideal sending frequency that keeps their business in the forefront of their customer's minds while also maintaining a sense of urgency and timeliness. Also, make sure to use expiration dates and/or "print by" dates to further increase the sense of urgency.

Next, incorporate a secure "one-time" printing system for coupon distribution. This will allow each email recipient of your coupons to be able to print them once and only once for each coupon sent. This may seem somewhat trivial or possibly even petty, but the reality is that coupons that can only be used once allows the merchant to be more comfortable with promoting bigger discounts and better deals while at the same time giving the customer higher perceived and actual value of the coupon.

Using these tools will allow you to not only dramatically cut advertising costs compared to traditional print coupon advertising but also allow you to use coupon advertising in the best ways possible. Actively promote your business to new and existing customers while using scientific testing to discover the best possible marketing messages for your business' success. Create a real marketplace for your coupons and their value will increase to everyone who uses them.

The Cheapskate's Guide to the Internet

Learn to save Big money online with these secret online coupon codes! Up to 60% off of major brands of computers, electronics, home products and more.

Check it out!

The Problem With Online Coupons - Why Using Coupons on the Internet Could Be Hurting Your Business

Traditionally, advertising with coupons has been an excellent way to capture new customers and retain existing customers. Using the Internet, promoting your business with coupons has become quicker, cheaper and easier than ever before. Unfortunately, Internet coupons for "Brick and Mortar" businesses may have become ineffective and quite possibly have a negative impact on your business if not used properly. The reasons for this are as follows:

1. Printing coupons from the Internet is like printing money, it devalues the coupons for the customer as well as for the merchant.

Coupons really are a form of currency. They are an agreement between the customer and the merchant. The merchant uses the coupon to say, "I will give you a discount or a special deal, and in return you will patronize my business." This is the basic give and take relationship that the coupon establishes and works very well, but only if there is just one coupon at a time.

The problem with most Internet coupons is that they are infinitely redeemable. Most of the time, patrons can print Internet coupons as many times as they want so that they can effectively receive the same discount every time they go to that merchant. If we were all able to print money from our computers in the same way, then our currency would instantaneously lose all of its value. By using printable coupons this way, the customer reduces the value in his or her mind of the products that the coupon applies to and therefore the coupons themselves. The merchant on the other hand must devalue the coupon similarly since it is no longer effective in creating a "give and take" relationship but rather just permanently discounts their products or services.

2. Having coupons always available further devalues them. If they are always there for the taking, then there is no urgency to go get them.

Similar to the point above, having a coupon always available to print off or redeem has the same effect as printing off hundreds of copies. Traditional print coupons have always been distributed periodically in a newspaper, magazine, postal mail, etc. This meant that you were only going to receive one and only one of those coupons until the next periodical was distributed. Therefore, if you had any sort of interest in possibly using that coupon in the future, then you would cut out the coupon at that moment and be ready to use it. With Internet coupons, knowing that you can always revisit a website and print off a coupon whenever the need arises has the effect of also making the coupon worthless. This is because, (a) most will forget that they ever saw the coupon and will therefore never go back to print it off and (b) most importantly, the coupon loses its promotional value of trying to get someone to take action now.

3. Most coupons on the Internet are on a "pull" model instead of a "push" model.

When customers have to go out and get coupons, instead of the coupons being "pushed" out to the customer, then they only get used by the true coupon frugal fanatics and not by first time customers or customers who have forgotten about you. Again, traditional coupons have always been sent "pushed" out to prospective customers and therefore acted as a great way to proactively promote businesses.

Also, Internet coupons on a "pull" model, where customers must visit a coupon website and see what coupons are available, have no market testing value. One of the greatest advantages of marketing with coupons since they were first studied by Claude Hopkins in the early 20th century, was to be able to scientifically test marketing messages by "pushing" out the coupons and then tracking the ones that came back to you. Although this could still theoretically be done in a "pull" type scenario, the benefit of the "push" test system is that you could send out your message to a specific number of recipients within a specific time period and then receive back a specific statistical sample to draw conclusions from.

The Right Way to Use Internet Printable Coupons

The solution to "The Problem with Online Coupons" is to use the Internet to distribute your coupons while eliminating the issues stated above.

First, use an email marketing solution. Sending coupons in email solves the "push vs. pull" problem by delivering coupons to specific group of people who have opted-in to receiving updates and specials from your business. Sending coupons via email also solves the problem of having coupons always available. Email allows businesses to mimic and even surpass the benefits of traditional print periodicals. Businesses can test to find the ideal sending frequency that keeps their business in the forefront of their customer's minds while also maintaining a sense of urgency and timeliness. Also, make sure to use expiration dates and/or "print by" dates to further increase the sense of urgency.

Next, incorporate a secure "one-time" printing system for coupon distribution. This will allow each email recipient of your coupons to be able to print them once and only once for each coupon sent. This may seem somewhat trivial or possibly even petty, but the reality is that coupons that can only be used once allows the merchant to be more comfortable with promoting bigger discounts and better deals while at the same time giving the customer higher perceived and actual value of the coupon.

Using these tools will allow you to not only dramatically cut advertising costs compared to traditional print coupon advertising but also allow you to use coupon advertising in the best ways possible. Actively promote your business to new and existing customers while using scientific testing to discover the best possible marketing messages for your business' success. Create a real marketplace for your coupons and their value will increase to everyone who uses them.