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In examining the marketing and the viability of a specific type of electronic coupon? a digital coupons? A research team from the University of Arizona found the results interesting and important early on what consumers thought digital coupon book, how are they used, why they have used and the problems associated with their use.

“In the literature there is some information on these coupons, but there is no empirical data,” said Professor Anita Bhappu PetSmart AU partner and chairman of the Science Division of the retail sales and consumer, who led the research project.

Focused on the food retail trade is the effort of the first empirical surveys of consumer behavior and use of electronic vouchers for the “consumer goods”, which includes food, beverages and cleaning products.


In their study

Bhappu and researchers in the John and Doris North School of Family and Consumer Sciences has learned that digital certificates are used for both advertising and sales promotion, but users are often difficult to use.

The team held focus groups and surveys before and after a week-long testing of electronic vouchers, manages the major users of paper coupons Bhappu called “divas slip covers and the non-users.

Not with electronic coupons available online, before they cashed, the new digital coupons are printed directly downloaded Store loyalty cards to be confused. Fry’s, Safeway and Sam’s Club are among the retailers currently testing digital coupons.

After loading the coupons on their customer cards through an Internet connection could not be many more, which are coupons available.

Also, many people said that not knowing redeem the coupons at the cashier and the cash register, how to fix this service failure.

“The promise, or at least implied promise behind the digital is more convenient than paper and how is this practice to a service rendered,” said Bhappu also a researcher in the Terry J. Lundgren, Distribution Center, which funded the project.

It was the aspect of the service users in greatest difficulty. Therefore, support services, the format is not “equal,” stated the team.

“Although the promotion was as important aspect of the coupon, the consumer is not satisfied with the service experience,” said Bhappu.


Co-worker mentioned

Jennifer Andrews, Charles Lawry Zeinou and Toure? All graduates in science and small consumers. In addition, UA graduate Mireya Gomez led a landmark study voucher for his final project to completion.

Gomez, a UA Honors College student, who received his degree in May retail trade and consumers showed that nearly three billion paper coupons are issued in the United States each year, but only 1-2 percent will be taken back.

“Personally, I am not sure that the coupons that we know more in their paper,” said Bhappu. â? A word? Coupons? no longer have to mean you cut out.â p> ???? But she notes, the future of digital couponing is closely related to the future of digital payment and mobile commerce or mobile commerce linked.

phone carriers and credit cards are radio transmitters with software vendors to offer this Bhappu says is a “digital wallet” for consumers to store their credit card information and digital coupons on their phones.

consumers could pay for their purchases simply by tapping their phone on a chip terminal POS payment, which would also detect and store their digital certificate.

Bhappu and his students prepare a research paper on their results with Andrews, who already hold a lecture on the methods of the team at the International Conference on System Sciences Hawaii held earlier this year. The paper won “Best Paper” nomination at the conference.


“What we learn today is very important for the future of digital coupons,” said Bhappu.

“Consumers just want a seamless service and do not want to go with something more like the downloading of individual coupons. It must be convenient for them,” said Bhappu too.

“But we can, from today’s consumer, which is available to learn how to develop better technology to try tomorrow,” she added. “Companies should think about it, because if they do not do a good job of integrating electronic coupons in existing systems and staff training on the technology, it is a service failure experience.”

CONTACT:
Anita Bhappu

AU John & Doris North School of Family and Consumer Sciences

520-621-5948
abhappu
(at) gmail (dot) Arizona (dot) edu

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