United States – Prices for everyday essentials have climbed relentlessly in the past two years, pushing consumers to get creative in stretching their paychecks. While overall inflation has cooled to about 3% year-over-year as of mid-2024, staples like groceries remain steep – with items such as beef up 5%, butter up 6.9%, and eggs surging over 10% in price since mid-2023. Faced with these higher bills at the checkout, shoppers are increasingly turning to discounts and promo codes to offset the pain. In fact, more than a quarter (26%) of U.S. adults now say they’re using coupons more frequently due to the state of the economy, according to the National Retail Federation – a notable jump from 18% who said the same back in mid-2021. What was once a habit associated mainly with frugal homemakers has become a mainstream survival tactic for millions navigating the current cost-of-living crunch.
This resurgence in coupon usage marks a sharp reversal of a decades-long decline in deal-hunting behavior. Historically, coupon redemption peaked in the early 1990s (Americans redeemed a record 7.9 billion coupons in 1992) before steadily waning during stronger economic times. By 2018, U.S. coupon use had sunk to its lowest level in nearly half a century. But the latest data shows couponing is making a comeback. Industry analyses reveal that coupon redemption rates, which hit an all-time low in 2022, soared by over 60% in 2023 – the first meaningful increase in over a decade. In other words, shoppers have broken the long coupon drought, clipping and clicking their way to savings once again in response to economic pressure. “Coupons are cool again,” proclaimed Inmar Intelligence in its annual promotion industry report, noting that 850 million coupons were redeemed in 2023, up 10% from the prior year. The chart below illustrates this trend, showing how the overall coupon redemption rate – the percentage of available coupons that consumers actually use – ticked upward for the first time since the Great Recession:
Coupon redemption rates hit a historic low in 2022 and then jumped in 2023, as inflation drove more consumers to seek savings.
Multiple surveys confirm that economic anxiety is directly fueling this behavioral shift. In SociableLabs’s own recent in-house survey of 10,000 online shoppers, 78% of respondents reported increasing their use of coupons and promo codes over the past year, explicitly citing inflation and higher living costs as the primary reason. External research mirrors these findings: a 2024 survey found more than half (54%) of U.S. online shoppers have upped their coupon usage in the last 12 months, with 74% of those citing inflation or cost-of-living pressures as the motive. “Online coupon codes are playing an increasingly vital role in today’s retail world”. “As consumers face economic challenges, they use digital discounts to stretch their budgets”. In other words, when times get tough, Americans get thrifty – and technology is making it easier than ever for them to do so.
New Habits Revealed: What 10,000 Shoppers Told Us
To dig deeper into this trend, SociableLabs conducted a comprehensive survey of 10,000 shoppers across the country. The findings paint a picture of a consumer base that is dramatically more deal-conscious than a few years ago. A striking 8 in 10 respondents said they now actively search for coupons or promo codes before making an online purchase, and nearly 1 in 4 described coupons as “essential” for affording their regular shopping. For many, this represents a change in mindset: 65% of those surveyed admitted they are more price-sensitive and deal-seeking today compared to two years ago, a shift they attribute mainly to higher grocery, gas, and housing costs.
Several patterns stood out in the survey data. Older shoppers have led the charge back into couponing – perhaps unsurprising, given that many seniors live on fixed incomes. Nearly 60% of Baby Boomers in our survey reported using coupons or discount codes to save money specifically in response to inflation, versus about 33–38% of Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z who said the same. This aligns with national trends showing Boomers have embraced coupons at higher rates during the recent inflation surge. In our study, Boomers also reported the greatest absolute savings from coupons, averaging about $40 per month saved by using discounts. By comparison, younger generations saved a bit less – Gen X about $30/month, Millennials $25, and Gen Z around $15 on average per month – in part because older consumers are more consistent coupon users (and often have larger household expenditures to apply those coupons to). The following chart breaks down the average monthly savings by generation as found in our survey:
SociableLabs survey data shows that older shoppers (especially Boomers) save the most each month via coupons, though all age groups are using coupons to trim budgets. Boomers have adopted coupons heavily to combat inflation, with nearly 60% using codes to save money.
Younger shoppers, while perhaps saving slightly less cash per month, are nevertheless deeply engaged in the deal-hunting culture. Over 90% of Millennial and Gen Z respondents in our poll said they regularly seek out coupons or promotions before buying non-essential items like clothing or gadgets, not just necessities. This reflects a broader behavioral shift: 92% of Americans of all ages now report using coupons in some form – whether digital or paper – within the past year. Notably, our survey found nearly half of shoppers under 40 will try a new brand if a coupon is offered, underscoring how discounts can drive experimentation and brand switching. “I’ve become almost addicted to finding a promo code for everything,” one Millennial respondent told us. “It’s like a challenge – if I can save an extra 15% or get free shipping, why wouldn’t I?”
However, the savvy shopper also values convenience and validity in their coupon quest. A recurring theme in the survey’s open-ended responses was frustration with invalid or expired codes found on random websites. Seven in 10 respondents said they have encountered “wasted time” chasing promo codes that didn’t work. “It’s annoying when you Google for a coupon and half the codes you find are duds,” one participant noted, echoing a common gripe. This frustration is validated by industry data: about 50% of people say that the digital coupons they find online fail to work at least half of the time. Such feedback underlines the importance of trustworthy coupon sources – a point we’ll return to later when discussing the role of platforms like SociableLabs.
Digital Deals Go Mainstream: Mobile, Apps & AI on the Rise
Behind the coupon renaissance is a revolution in how consumers find and use deals. Gone are the days of clipping paper vouchers from Sunday newspapers; today’s deal hunters are armed with smartphones, browser extensions, and AI-powered apps. Digital couponing has firmly overtaken traditional methods for most shoppers. In 2023, roughly 67% of U.S. consumers used digital coupons, compared to 59% who still used paper coupons – marking a clear preference for online and mobile offers. The convenience of one-click discounts and auto-applied promo codes at checkout has fundamentally changed the game. Over 80% of Americans now say they’ve signed up for email or text alerts specifically to receive digital coupons and deals, and many retailers have rolled out robust coupon features in their mobile apps to meet this demand.
One striking aspect of this shift is the dominance of mobile devices in modern couponing. Shoppers are no longer sitting at desktop computers hunting for promo codes – they’re doing it on their phones, often in real time while shopping. Over 90% of digital coupon users now access coupons via a smartphone (either through retailer apps, mobile websites, or wallet apps), a share that has climbed from about 85% just a few years ago. This means only a small fraction – under 10% – rely on a desktop or other device exclusively for their online coupons. The graphic below illustrates the rapid transition to mobile coupon usage between 2019 and 2023:
Mobile has become the primary channel for digital coupons. In 2023, roughly 92% of digital coupon users accessed coupons on smartphones, up from about 85% a few years prior. Desktop-only coupon use (orange) now represents a very small minority.
Retailers have taken notice of this mobile-first behavior. Store loyalty apps and shopping platforms increasingly feature built-in coupon sections, enabling users to “clip” digital coupons to their accounts or wallets. “Tap into store apps for digital coupons,” advises consumer finance expert Andrea Woroch, pointing to apps like Target Circle and grocery store programs that let users activate discounts with a tap. Many shoppers are doing exactly that: 61% of consumers say they use a grocery or superstore savings app (like Kroger’s, Walmart’s, or Target’s app) to find deals on the go. In our survey, respondents praised store apps for offering exclusive coupons and eliminating the need to carry paper printouts. What’s clear is that the smartphone has become a personal savings assistant for millions, alerting them to deals as they shop and ensuring no coupon is left unused.
Perhaps the most transformative development in the coupon space has been the advent of AI-powered coupon tools and browser extensions. These technologies automate the deal-finding process entirely: instead of manually searching for a promo code, shoppers can rely on smart software to do it in seconds. A number of startups and tech giants have entered this arena. PayPal’s Honey, for instance, is a browser extension that automatically tests and applies coupon codes at checkout – it became so popular that PayPal acquired the company for $4 billion in 2020. (Honey had about 17 million active users at the time, who had collectively saved over $1 billion in a year by using the tool.) Competing browser add-ons like Capital One Shopping (formerly Wikibuy) and CouponCabin’s Sidekick offer similar code-scanning capabilities, often powered by large databases of crowdsourced coupons and machine-learning algorithms to find the best match. According to our research, roughly 17% of online shoppers now use a browser extension to automatically scour for coupons whenever they shop – a figure that has steadily grown and is likely to keep rising. These tools remove the last bits of friction from coupon use: no need to hunt for codes or remember to paste them, as the AI does it for you.
Beyond extensions, deal-finding apps and platforms have proliferated, many using AI to personalize and improve the user experience. For example, Rakuten (formerly Ebates) uses algorithms to combine coupon offers with cash-back rewards, and has attracted over 15 million members in the U.S. Likewise, Saver (the startup mentioned earlier) bills itself as a social, AI-powered coupon platform that not only distributes promo codes but also verifies their validity in real time. And it’s not just startups – even major tech companies are integrating AI deal helpers. Microsoft’s Edge web browser now includes a built-in coupon finder that automatically flags discount codes on shopping sites. Google has experimented with highlighting promotions in Chrome. Retailers themselves are leveraging AI: some e-commerce sites deploy chatbots that can surface coupon codes when customers ask, or algorithms that tailor discounts to a user’s shopping history. The result of all this technological innovation? Consumers can save money with minimal effort, and they know it. As one shopper quipped in our survey, “Honestly it feels like a cheat code – I just let the app find the savings for me.”
The impact of these digital tools is evident in the market’s growth. The digital coupon industry is booming, both in usage and economic value. Insider Intelligence estimates that over 92% of all digital coupon users are now smartphone coupon users (as noted above), reflecting the ubiquity of mobile deals. And the global digital coupons market – encompassing mobile coupon apps, code distribution platforms, and related SaaS services – is forecast to more than triple in value over the next decade. In 2023, the digital coupon market was valued around $7.6 billion; by 2030, it’s projected to reach roughly $24–25 billion. The chart below shows this steep growth trajectory, which underscores how rapidly companies and consumers are embracing online deals:
The global digital coupon market is experiencing rapid growth. Valued at about $7.6 billion in 2023, it’s projected to expand to over $24 billion by 2030. New AI-driven coupon tools and platforms are driving this growth, making it easier for consumers to save.
A Trustworthy Haven for Deals: SociableLabs and Verified Coupons
In this brave new world of digital deal-hunting, not all coupon platforms are created equal. The flood of coupon websites, apps, and browser tools brings with it a familiar problem from the internet’s earlier days: coupon clutter and misinformation. Consumers might find dozens of coupon code sites in a Google search, but many are rife with outdated or user-submitted codes that don’t actually work (as our survey respondents lamented). Now, more than ever, shoppers are seeking reliable, verified sources for discounts – places they know will provide working coupon codes and legitimate offers.
This is where SociableLabs.com has positioned itself as a trusted leader. A long-standing platform in the coupon space, SociableLabs has spent years curating deals and vetting promo codes for accuracy before listing them. The company started in the early 2010s and built its reputation by partnering directly with retailers and brands to obtain official coupon codes. Each code on the site is tested, and expiration dates are clearly noted, sparing users the frustration of trial-and-error with bad codes. In an industry where, as noted, barely 9% of shoppers say online coupons work for them almost all the time, SociableLabs prides itself on delivering only the codes that work – essentially separating the signal from the noise. (A motto on the site reminds users, “It is best to always get your coupons from verified and trusted sources,” highlighting their commitment to authenticity.)
Today, SociableLabs.com is trusted by millions of users and counts many of the world’s top e-commerce brands among its network. From major fashion retailers to everyday services, the platform features tens of thousands of active offers at any given time – all organized by category, updated daily, and verified. This scale and credibility have made SociableLabs a go-to resource for deal-savvy shoppers. According to Capital One Shopping’s research, coupon websites collectively receive over 180 million visits a month in the U.S., and much of that traffic concentrates on a handful of reliable sites. By emphasizing quality over quantity – i.e., fewer but verified codes – SociableLabs has earned a loyal following. Shoppers know that when they grab a promo code from SociableLabs, it’s likely to deliver the advertised discount at checkout, which builds trust and keeps them coming back for more savings.
Beyond just listing codes, SociableLabs has also kept pace with the latest trends we discussed. The platform offers a mobile-friendly experience and has integrated some AI-driven features to help users find the best deals faster. For example, the site might highlight trending coupons based on real-time popularity, or suggest relevant deals if a user is browsing a particular store’s offers – leveraging data to personalize the experience. SociableLabs has effectively blended the human touch (manual verification) with technology (smart search and suggestions) to ensure that users can quickly discover and successfully use coupons that fit their needs. In doing so, it provides an antidote to the scattershot approach of lesser deal sites.
The New Normal: A Coupon in Every Cart?
As we look ahead, it’s clear that digital coupons are no longer a fringe hobby or a sign of bargain-basement shopping – they’ve become an everyday staple of the consumer experience. What our fictional press release initially observed is resoundingly confirmed by the data we’ve explored: inflation and economic pressures have driven Americans back to coupons en masse, armed with smartphones and AI tools to save money in smarter ways than ever before. This isn’t likely to be a temporary fad. If anything, the convenience and ubiquity of digital deals means that even as inflation moderates, consumers will continue expecting discounts and will plan their shopping around them. Retailers, for their part, have learned that many shoppers won’t hit the “buy” button without at least searching for a promo code – a trend confirmed by the fact that 3 in 5 online shoppers now proactively look for a coupon code during checkout.
From a sociological perspective, the stigma that may have once been associated with coupon use (“only those in dire straits use coupons”) has all but vanished. It’s now cool to be a smart shopper. Young professionals brag about the deals their Honey extension found them; suburban parents swap tips on cash-back apps; and yes, even affluent households happily apply coupon codes for luxury goods. Interestingly, some of the highest coupon usage rates are reported among higher-income earners – a study noted that 89% of shoppers earning $175k+ use online coupon codes, a higher percentage than even some lower-income groups. Saving money, it turns out, appeals to everyone. In an era of digital empowerment, why pay full price if you don’t have to?
For businesses, this means adapting to a new reality where promotions and personalization go hand in hand. Brands are increasingly leveraging targeted discounts (sometimes powered by AI insights into consumer behavior) to attract deal-seekers without completely eroding their margins. And partnerships with platforms like SociableLabs allow retailers to reach millions of ready-to-save consumers in a trusted environment. The key is ensuring those discounts feel genuine and valuable – because today’s shoppers are savvy and can quickly tell a meaningful coupon (e.g. 20% off a purchase) from a token gesture (say, 5% off or a meager $5 coupon). In fact, 93% of U.S. consumers say that “discounts and offers” are an important factor in their shopping decisions, and they prefer percentage-off or dollar-off deals over other types of promos. This suggests that coupons will continue to heavily influence where and how people shop.
In summary, the rise in online coupon usage amid inflation is not just a blip – it signals a lasting evolution in consumer behavior, enabled by technology and fueled by economic need. Shoppers have learned that with a bit of savvy (or a bit of AI assistance), they can take the edge off even the toughest economy. SociableLabs.com and similar platforms stand ready to serve this growing legion of value-oriented consumers, providing the trustworthy deals that keep their loyalty. As one might say, the modern shopper has “never met a coupon they didn’t like,” and as long as prices stay high and digital tools stay handy, you can bet that coupon-clipping (or rather, coupon-clicking) is here to stay – helping everyone from Gen Z to Boomers save a few dollars and feel a lot smarter at the checkout line.
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Website – https://sociablelabs.com/
Email ID – research@sociablelabs.com
