The Top 10 Coupon Stories of 2010

In the year of group buying and the age of social networking, Groupon emerged as the biggest coupon story of 2010. At barely two years old, the Chicago-based company is projected by Forbes to make $1 billion in profit faster than any web outfit ever.

Yet Groupon was far from the only newsmaker in the coupon world this year. Running the gamut from digital victory to print faux pas, here are highlights from Coupon Sherpa's top 10 of 2010 list:

• Group-Buying Coupon Trend Goes Viral: The house Groupon built in November 2008 is now a bonafide worldwide phenomenon, with countless sites jumping aboard the group-buying wagon. Outfits like LivingSocial and "Tippr.com" are found in numerous cities across the nation, from metropolises like Los Angeles to small markets like Kalamazoo, Mich. The movement truly showcases the power of Internet buying, as rapid growth in Asia has led to the creation of 1,200 sites in China alone.
• McDonald's Reneges On Real Fruit Smoothies Coupon: Ronald and Co. had a ho-hum year, including a PR bungle when the chain reneged on millions of coupons for its new line of Real Fruit Smoothies. In mid-July, Micky D's generously distributed 32 million coupons for a free sample of the smoothie, then decided in the final hour they hadn't stockpiled enough supplies to meet the demand. Talk about overlooking basic economics. Either way, Starbucks and Dairy Queen smelled blood and swooped in, offering their own coupons to fill the void.
• Newspaper Coupons Aren't Dead Yet -- But They're Close: Journalists already mourn the death of traditional newspapers. Until recently, one of the few things keeping them remotely conscious was ad revenue, including coupons. It's safe to say papers are about to enter a coma, as digital coupon growth outpaced newspaper coupon growth for the first time in 2010 by a margin of 10 to one. Sadly, the prognosis becomes even more dire when consumer habits are to blame for this mass exodus. Nearly a third of all coupon users -- around 13.1 million people -- no longer clip from their Sunday paper; an increase of roughly 4 million since 2008. Newspaper coupons will soon take their place alongside pay phones and, if journos are correct, newspapers themselves.

A common theme throughout the year was the inevitable digitization of just about everything, from the pervasive use of printable coupons to the advent of mobile coupons. Download "The Top 10 Coupon Stories of 2010" in time for the New Year and fill readers in on a years worth of news from the couponing front.

 

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Coupon Sherpa is one of four websites operating under the brand name The Frugals and dedicated to helping consumers save money and live more frugally. Other members of The Frugals family include Gift Card Granny, Coupon Sherpa and Mrs. Sweepstakes.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
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