Coupons use surges in rough economy

NEW YORK, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- The Internet and the recession have combined forces to create a resurgence of the shopping coupon, a U.S. retail analyst said.

Coupons are not only "more accessible to more consumers," in the computer age, but shoppers have also become more discerning in the hunt for bargains, said Todd Hale, senior vice president of consumer and shopping insights at Nielsen Co.

"Without question, the economy has caused consumers to make pretty significant shifts in where they shop and how they buy and use promotions," Todd said, the Chicago Tribune reported Thursday.

The National Retail Federation said 42 percent of respondents to a recent survey indicated coupons were part of their holiday shopping strategy.

With the 2008 holiday shopping season one of the slowest in decades and 2009 figuring to be only slightly better, stores have cut down on merchandise, forcing the consumer to look for deals.

A year ago, the dynamic was different with overstocked stores forced to discount prices.

The shift can be measured at Coupons.com, a Web site where consumers printed $313 million worth of coupons in 2008, a figure that was passed by June in 2009, the Tribune said.