The implication of this emerging trend is significant for both FMCGs and retailers. In fact, whilst this shift in middle England’s behaviour may appear to represent a real threat for brands, it also represents an opportunity for savvy marketers prepared to look deeper into how they can exploit today’s economic trends. Whilst tougher economic conditions are typically associated with decreasing sales, that is not the full picture.  Consumption does not stop in a recession – consumers still need to purchase essential goods, from cleaning products to butter. However, consumers are making both conscious and unconscious modifications to purchasing behaviour in a bid to reduce spending, from switching brands, to moving to ‘own label’ goods, to taking advantage of promotions such as coupon offers or trade promotions.

In a price conscious economy, consumers also spend much longer evaluating purchasing decisions. They are also increasingly influenced by the money saving options and clever shopping hints and tips being presented daily by magazines, news programmes and information shows on television and radio. The impact of this changing behaviour can be seen on the high street as retailers embark upon significant price based competition in a bid to win new customers or stop the steady erosion of the existing consumer base.  But reactive, tactical retailer discounting alone cannot be a long term solution.

Customer Engagement
Organisations must look at new ways of maximising sales and achieving strong customer engagement to boost brand value. TV and radio advertising are currently losing significant ground as organisations turn their investment towards customer marketing activity that can build far stronger and more measurable direct customer interaction. There is already a clear trend towards sales promotion and online marketing. Figures from the latest Bellwether report reveal that sales promotion budgets have suffered less than other areas of marketing because of the need to strategically drive sales during a downturn.  Furthermore, the only category to see an increase in the last quarter was the Internet – one of the media channels used for sales promotion.

This demonstrates the continued move towards leveraging the Internet as a powerful and cost effective vehicle for driving sales growth and enhancing brand value. The ability to rapidly access information, undertake product comparisons and research and assess price options has made the Internet a key tool to support cost effective buying behaviour.  Consumer usage also continues to grow, particularly amongst “middle-class” women, also the primary household shopper as they search for imaginative ways to live well in a downturn, according to Financial Times research. Their research revealed that middle England in particular is increasingly using the Internet to search for money-off vouchers, discount groceries and cheap holidays. There is also strong evidence that these consumers are changing the way they shop for the mundanities of life – including groceries. According to data from Nielsen Online, discount retailers are registering increased interest from households with incomes of £50,000 a year or more. Also, Couponstar, the interactive coupon solutions company recently reported a 652% increase in redemptions for Internet printable coupons over recent months.

Growing Awareness
As a result, organisations including Unilever, Mars, Colgate, Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline and Ocean Spray have recently turned a lot of their attention and marketing spend towards combining online brand experiential campaigns with Internet printable coupons to satisfy the need to improve customer retention and generate measurable incremental sales.

These organisations are exploiting the inherent customer engagement associated with using Internet coupons as a direct response mechanism. By choosing to print the coupons, consumers are automatically engaged in the process. Having made the proactive decision to print, consumers are more likely to be motivated to redeem the coupon and are far more engaged in the brand journey.

This shift in strategy also reflects the growing demand for marketing activity to deliver tangible return on investment.  Internet printable coupons are highly measurable, providing marketers with rapid insight into both the number of coupons printed and the number redeemed. With typical redemption rates of 23.5% and above (Source: Couponstar), in contrast to less than 2% for other major coupon distribution mediums Internet printable coupons are enabling these brands to cost effectively acquire new customers and drive in-store sales.

A common mistake when evaluating coupon promotions, Internet coupons included, is to only take total redemptions and the percentage of distribution to redemption rate into consideration. In fact, the coupon is in itself a powerful brand communication and advertisement in its own right. It is not uncommon for a coupon to have only a satisfactory or low redemption rate yet be the primary cause for in-store sales uplift. This is easily explained by the fact that consumers don’t always remember to bring their coupons with them to the store, however many respond directly to coupon promotions by voting with their feet.

Brand Value
However, if organisations are to use coupons to reinforce brand value and achieve incremental sales growth, offers need to reflect the fast changing behaviour of middle England. To reach the consumer and boost customer engagement throughout the brand lifecycle, offers need to be targeted, relevant and delivered via the growing number of niche lifestyle sites, such as GMTV, bounty.com and UKTV, that are frequently visited by the middle classes, particularly women.  The approach must be dynamic, supported by continual consumer profiling to design offers that reflect an individual’s customer value and build upon previous interactions.

Internet coupons are providing organisations with a highly effective route to the newly cost conscious middle England. But to be effective the focus must remain on customer engagement not just discounting. By targeting this audience with relevant coupon offers, organisations can reinforce brand value and loyalty and, critically, drive measurable in-store sales.

Conclusion
There is little doubt that the UK is in for a rocky ride over the next 12 to 18 months as consumers and marketers alike react to the shift in economic fortune. Yet there is a silver lining. The pressing demand for tangible return on marketing spend and brand engagement will drive greater growth in strategic sales promotion via the Internet, such as the use of Internet printable coupons, to deliver both a relevant route to the key middle England market and the quantifiable payback required in today’s challenging economic climate.