Despite the widespread popularity of flash deals from Groupon, LivingSocial, BuywithMe, and other daily deal sites, consumers understand that when it comes down to pure money-saving, coupons are still king.
This is pretty obvious, I suppose. But consumers, when forced to think about it, realize that daily deals are meant to tempt them into making impulse buys and unplanned, often impractical purchases. In a recent survey from RetailMeNot (which just so happens to be a site that features online coupons), consumers basically admit that daily deals aren’t really about saving money:
76% of people who use both coupon sites and daily deal sites believe they save more money in the long run with coupon sites. This is reflected across all income levels, regions, genders and occupations.
68% of online shoppers use daily deal sites more for impulse purchases than planned purchases, as opposed to 39% of online shoppers who use coupon sites more for impulse purchases than planned.
Of course, it’s possible to think you’re saving money from daily deals and coupon sites alike. But if the presence of a “deal” convinces you to spend money you otherwise would have saved, are you really saving anything?
