A new study attempts to link consumer frugality with the use of coupons, and comes up with the somewhat surprising result that coupon use is often lower in some of the locations hardest hit by the sour economy.
“Despite signs of an economic recovery, shoppers across the country are continuing to use online coupons and codes,” said Marc Braunstein, co-founder and CEO of ShopAtHome.com. “What’s surprising from our August Buy-havior findings is that in recession-hit states like California and Nevada, shoppers are less likely to seek out online savings. At ShopAtHome.com, we make it simple for consumers to shop smarter and find the lowest possible prices available online—with added cash back incentives for even greater savings.”
The study looks at 226 cities with populations from 100K or greater. Here are the two top ten lists generated:
Most Frugal
1. Salt Lake City UT
2. Denver CO
3. Seattle WA
4. Knoxville TN
5. Orlando FL
6. Boise ID
7. Grand Rapids MI
8. St. Louis MO
9. Washington DC
10. Columbia SC
Source: ShopAtHome.com
Least Frugal
1. Santa Ana CA
2. North Las Vegas NV
3.Oakland CA
4. Fontana CA
5. Oxnard CA
6. Ontario CA
7. Pasadena CA
8. El Paso TX
9. Glendale CA
10. Huntington Beach CA
Source: ShopAtHome.com
Here is how the states stack up, with New Hampshire the most frugal and New Mexico the least.
1 New Hampshire
2. Massachusetts
3. Rhode Island
4. Maine
5 Georgia
6 New Jersey
7 Pennsylvania
8 Florida
9 North Carolina
10. Colorado
11. Virginia
12. North Dakota
13. Connecticut
14. Delaware
15. Tennessee
16. Washington
17. Missouri
18. Ohio
19. New York
20. Kentucky
21. Illinois
22. Michigan
23. South Carolina
24. Utah
25. Wisconsin
26. Nebraska
27. Idaho
28. Oregon
29. Maryland
30. Kansas
31. Arizona
32. Indiana
33. South Dakota
34. Minnesota
35. Alabama
36. West Virginia
37. Vermont
38. Nevada
39. Iowa
40. Texas
41. Louisiana
42. California
43. Oklahoma
44. Arkansas
45. Montana
46. Mississippi
47. Wyoming
48. Alaska
49. Hawaii
50. New Mexico
Source: ShopAtHome.com
The full report can be found here:
http://www.shopathome.com/press-releases/august-2012-buyhavior-report.aspx
RBR-TVBR observation: We have a suggestion or two that would explain what ShopAtHome.com sees as a paradox.
First, consumers who are striving very hard to keep their weekly expenses at a very low level likely are big purchasers of generics – and by definition, generics don’t engage in practices like offering coupons.
Secondly, consumers in hard-hit areas may be a bit less likely to spend time online, meaning they would not be going to places like ShopAtHome to acquire coupons.
Nonetheless, this is an interesting study – and whether or not consumers in your market are big value hunters instructs how to write creative when advertising to them.
