Dive Brief:
- Walmart continued to produce and distribute the most free standing inserts (FSIs), or print coupons, of any U.S. retailer in 2015, according to Kantar Media, followed by Target and Walgreens.
- However, all three retailers decreased their FSI pages from 2014 substantially, with Wamart cutting FSI pages by 33.4%, Target dropping by 25.2%, and Walgreens slashing by 8.4% year over year.
- Several retailers increased FSI pages in 2015, including Dollar General (up 26.1% in 2015), CVS (up 23.7%), Publix and Rite Aid.
Dive Insight:
While six out of the top 10 U.S. retailers slashed freestanding insert (FSI) pages by an average of almost a third in 2015, Kantar Media found they still produced four-fifths (80.8%) of retail promotional pages.
Walmart, Target and Walgreens took the top three slots, in spite of major decreases. No. 8 Safeway cut its FSIs by 53.0%, while No. 5 Family Dollar eliminated 40.6%. However, Dollar General added 26.1% more FSI pages in 2015, while No. 6 CVS added 23.7%.
eMarketer says that one reason behind the reduced reliance on print is that mobile couponing has grown at a steady 4% pace year-over-year since 2013, with 44.5% of U.S. companies expected to issue mobile coupons this year.
Big retailers also have sophisticated mobile apps that inform customers of the latest deals, too, such as Target’s Cartwheel and Walmart’s Scan & Go function. But 63% of those surveyed by CreditCards.com in August 2015 said they use paper coupons compared to 15% for mobile.
