By Pallavi Thakur 
Coupons have quietly become one of the most powerful tools in a shopper’s playbook. What used to mean clipping a paper insert from the Sunday newspaper is now a smartphone habit that touches almost every online and in-store purchase. At LocalDeal, we track how people find, use, and save with coupons all year round — so we pulled together the numbers that matter most heading into 2026.
Below are coupon statistics covering usage rates, digital adoption, generational habits, redemption behavior, and where the coupon market is headed next. Signup With Locoldeal for free business listings and free coupon advertisement for all business types.
Coupon Statistics At a Glance (2026)
| Metric | 2026 Data Point |
| U.S. consumers who have used a coupon | ~90% |
| Online shoppers who search for a code before checkout | ~62% |
| Global digital coupon market value | $12.55B (projected) |
| Digital coupon users redeeming via smartphone | 93.5% |
| Digital coupon users redeeming via tablet | 41.9% |
| Average digital coupon redemption rate | ~7% |
| Shoppers who’ve switched brands for a coupon | ~71% |
| Shoppers willing to share email for a coupon | ~79% |
| Shoppers using digital coupons while in-store | ~35% |
| Consumers over 55 who used a coupon in the past year | ~96% |
| Consumers aged 18–34 who used a coupon in the past year | ~87% |
| Projected global retailer losses from coupon fraud | $2.8B+ annually |
Coupon Usage: The Big Picture
1. Nearly 9 in 10 shoppers use coupons. Coupon use is no longer a niche money-saving habit — it’s mainstream. The vast majority of U.S. consumers say they’ve used a coupon in the past year, spanning every income bracket and age group.
2. Around 6 in 10 online shoppers search for a code before checkout. More than half of online buyers actively look for a promo code or discount before they complete a purchase, and many will pause checkout entirely to go find one.
3. Cart abandonment is often coupon-driven. A large share of shoppers admit to walking away from an online cart simply because they couldn’t find a working discount code — proof that a visible coupon can be the deciding factor between “buy” or “bounce.”
4. Inflation has pushed more people back into couponing. Rising prices over the past few years pushed a majority of shoppers to consciously use coupons and deal codes to offset higher costs, reversing the “easy money” spending habits of previous years.
5. Grocery couponing is climbing the fastest. The share of grocery shoppers who say they coupon more frequently than before has risen sharply in just a couple of years, as everyday essentials feel the pinch of inflation the most.
Digital vs. Paper Coupons
1. Digital coupons have overtaken paper for good. Load-to-card and app-based digital coupons now outpace traditional paper inserts, marking a permanent shift in how discounts are distributed and redeemed.
2. The global digital coupon market is worth billions. The digital coupon industry is valued in the double-digit billions globally and continues to grow at a healthy double-digit annual rate as more retailers move promotions online.
3. Percentage-off deals are the most popular format. Shoppers consistently rank “percent off” offers as their favorite coupon type, followed closely by buy-one-get-one deals — outperforming flat dollar-off coupons, especially as average order values rise.
4. The average digital redemption rate sits around 7%. For every 100 digital coupons issued, roughly 7 get redeemed — a rate that’s climbed steadily as targeting and personalization have improved.
Mobile Is the Main Battlefield
10. Smartphones dominate coupon redemption. The overwhelming majority of digital coupon users now redeem their offers directly from a smartphone rather than a desktop or tablet.
11. Tablet redemption lags far behind. Only a small fraction of digital coupon users redeem through a tablet, reinforcing that mobile-first — not just digital — is where retailers need to focus.
12. Mobile redemption rates crush paper by a wide margin. Coupons redeemed through mobile channels convert at a rate many times higher than traditional paper coupons, making mobile the clear priority for any deals platform.
13. In-store mobile couponing is growing. More than a third of shoppers now pull up a digital coupon on their phone even while shopping inside a physical store, applying it at checkout or self-checkout kiosks.
14. Push notifications are becoming a redemption driver. A meaningful share of coupon redemptions today originate from a push notification rather than an email or browser search, showing how app engagement directly translates into sales.
15. Shoppers prefer apps over other coupon channels. Given a choice, most consumers say they’d rather receive deals through a dedicated app than through email newsletters or browser extensions.
Generational Coupon Habits
Older shoppers still lead on overall usage
Consumers over 55 report some of the highest coupon usage rates of any age group, though they lean more heavily on traditional and printable coupons.
Younger shoppers are almost as engaged — just more digital.
Adults under 35 aren’t far behind in overall coupon usage, but their redemptions are overwhelmingly digital rather than paper-based.
Gen Z and younger Millennials are the most coupon-friendly generation online
Shoppers born in the late 1990s through early 2010s show some of the highest rates of active coupon-seeking behavior of any cohort.
What Coupons Do to Buying Behavior?
A coupon can win brand new customers
A large majority of shoppers say a coupon has made them more likely to try a business or brand they’d never purchased from before.
Coupons drive brand switching
Roughly 7 in 10 consumers admit they’ve switched from their usual brand to a different one purely because a coupon made it cheaper.
Coupons fuel impulse buying
A significant share of shoppers say they’ve made an unplanned purchase specifically because a digital coupon was available at checkout.
Coupon users spend more, not less, overall
Counterintuitively, shoppers who actively use coupons tend to have higher average order values than those who don’t — savings on one item often free up budget for another.
Some shoppers buy things they don’t need — just because there’s a deal
A notable portion of consumers admit to purchasing an item they hadn’t planned on, solely because a coupon made it feel like too good a deal to pass up.
Email, Loyalty, and Personal Data
Shoppers will trade their email for a discount
A large majority of consumers say they’re willing to hand over their email address in exchange for a coupon or discount code — making email capture one of the most effective (and welcomed) tools for deal sites.
Loyalty and coupon behavior are increasingly linked
Shoppers who regularly use coupons are more likely to also engage with loyalty programs, treating both as part of the same “smart shopping” routine.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Mobile redemption is expected to keep climbing
Industry forecasts point to smartphone redemption share edging even higher through 2026 as remaining age groups continue adopting digital wallets and coupon apps.
Coupon fraud is a growing concern for retailers
As “glitch” communities and code-scraping bots proliferate, global retailers are projected to lose billions of dollars annually to coupon fraud and unauthorized redemptions — a reminder that verified, trustworthy coupon sources matter more than ever.
Popular Coupon Categories on LocalDeal
No matter what you’re shopping for, there’s likely a verified coupon waiting for you. Here are the most popular categories shoppers browse on LocalDeal:
- Auto Sales
- Contractors
- Pet Care
- Professional Services
- Real Estate
- Shopping/Retail
- Clothing
- Home and Garden
- Health and Beauty
- Travel and Accommodation
- Food and Dining
- Sports and Fitness
- Baby and Kids
- Auto Repair
- Entertainment and Events
- Office Supplies
- Pet Supplies
- Insurance
Whether you’re booking a getaway, furnishing your home, planning a night out, or just running errands, LocalDeal has coupons and discounts across all of these categories to help you save on nearly everything you buy.
The Takeaway
Coupons aren’t a relic of the newspaper era — they’re a core part of how modern shoppers decide what, when, and where to buy. Mobile is now the primary redemption channel, digital has permanently overtaken paper, and every generation, from Boomers to Gen Z, uses coupons in some form.
For shoppers, that means one thing: it almost never pays to check out without checking for a deal first. That’s exactly why LocalDeal exists — to make sure you never miss a verified coupon, promo code, or discount before you hit “buy.”
Looking for real, working coupons before your next purchase? Browse the latest verified deals on LocalDeal.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many people actually use coupons?
Nearly 9 in 10 U.S. consumers report using a coupon at least once in the past year, making couponing one of the most common shopping behaviors across every age group and income level. That’s exactly why platforms like LocalDeal exist — to make finding a verified coupon effortless.
Are digital coupons more popular than paper coupons now?
Yes. Digital coupons — including app-based offers, promo codes, and load-to-card discounts — have permanently overtaken traditional paper inserts as the preferred way shoppers find and redeem deals. LocalDeal focuses entirely on digital coupons so you always have the latest, working codes at your fingertips.
What type of coupon do shoppers prefer the most?
Percentage-off coupons are the most popular format, followed by buy-one-get-one (BOGO) offers. Flat dollar-off coupons rank lower, especially as average order values continue to rise. You’ll find all of these formats across LocalDeal’s coupon categories.
Do coupons actually increase sales, or just cut margins?
Coupons tend to drive more sales overall. Shoppers who use coupons often have higher average order values than non-coupon users, and a large share say a coupon has made them try a brand or business for the first time. This is also why local businesses list their deals on LocalDeal — to attract new, loyal customers.
Which age group uses coupons the most?
Consumers over 55 report some of the highest overall coupon usage, though they lean more on traditional formats. Younger shoppers, especially Gen Z and younger Millennials, use coupons almost as often — just overwhelmingly through digital and mobile channels, which is where LocalDeal delivers its deals.