Coupons are considered to be one of the best strategies for marketing products in a recession period. During such periods, consumers become more price-conscious and tend to cut down their spending. However, discounts and special promotional schemes like offering coupons can drive consumer spending during such tough times. Coupons can be good vehicles for both buyers and marketers. Coupons entitle a buyer to a price reduction for a product. Marketers, on the other hand, can use coupons to lure more customers and motivate them to try out newly launched products. This article talks about the use of coupons during economic downturns. It also explains the different types of coupons offered by the retailers and explains the benefits as well as drawbacks of using them.

The current eco nomic turmoil has inflicted a lot of damage on every sector and industry. Decreasing profits and falling market shares are giving a tough time to the advertisers and marketers. Recession has tightened family budgets and is really weighing high on individuals and businesses. "Save more and get more" is the mantra that suits best in times of such crisis. While on one hand, consumers have become cost-sensitive, on the other hand, companies have become promotion-sensitive.

The present scenario has given rise to a new class of shoppers, known as recession shoppers, who have squeezed their shopping habits and frequency. To target such shoppers, advertising firms, today, are chalking out strategies accordingly. Even the customers are looking out for retailers who offer discounts, special promotion schemes, and so on. The importance of such add-ons are being felt to such an extent that very recently a retailer announced that on every purchase of a particular soft drink, the company would offer a ticket to a particular resort.

Amidst these developments, coupons have emerged as a viable solution to arrest the declining market sales. The coupon strategy is not new to the consumers. Coupons, are tickets that authorize customers to discounts, when they shop. Saving money with discount coupons has always been thought of as a better way of shopping. Selling products or services through coupons is considered to be the best mechanism for retaining the existing customers and attracting new ones. The current recession has, in fact, changed even the fairly well off shoppers into coupon clippers. Coupons have gained popularity among consumers of all income levels. It has been proved that coupons in depressed economies offer incentives to both the sellers and the buyers. Companies, today, are seeing their future in coupons, to fend off their competitors in crisis times.

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