In hard financial times, more people search for coupons and freebies. But it is always nice to have some extra cash that you saved because you are an intelligent consumer. You can easily save a lot of money (hundreds of dollars a year is an accurate estimation for more than 50% of US households).
So here is a short review why the freebies, coupons and samples industry is flourishing?
1. It is very good for the advertisers. Basically, they are giving you reason to look into their products, if not to go ahead and buy them. Most consumers will not stay loyal to one brand when an equal quality brand is priced at 50% off. So, they are giving you a reason to buy their product. Even if is just a free sample, they are opening the window to you coming back and buying their product, or even if you didn’t, but you did say to your best friend “I got a free sample you might want to get one too.” It is the best form of publicity. So it is not hard to understand why freebies and coupons & samples and discounts are actually great for advertisers.
2. It is very good for you, the consumer. With a little time, you can save a lot of money on your grocery shopping, insurance, gas, clothing and what not. Some offers require participation, which a lot of consumers feel to be a scam. Participation required means that in order to get a certain freebie, you need to review and apply to receive certain advertiser’s products. That’s right – more discounts and freebies! So why a scam? Some of the offers cost money. For example, to receive a $400 laptop, you might be required to apply to receive as many as 14 different advertiser products. Some are free. Some cost as little as $1.95 for shipping and some are simply discounted offers. Like a full make up kit for $8.95. So a quick review tells us the following thing:. Not only will you get a free laptop, and discounted products, you will also pay for this entire package approx. one fourth of the actual laptop’s price. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? Smart consumers are looking for the catch. Well, there is none. But if you end up enjoying the $8.95 make up kit, you just might want to order one for your sister or your best friend. And when you do that, when you become a consumer, the companies and advertisers get their money’s worth.
3. The third reason which is also very important, is that freebie hunting is now easy. Once upon a time, if you wanted to save you had to search your daily newspaper and start clipping coupons. You had to scan the local store newsletter to see what discounts they have. Now, you simply pick a freebies website and sign up for their free newsletter. All the freebies and coupons are sent to your email and you only have to choose.
Financial advisors predict that with every financial crisis, the population who scans the web daily for coupons and discounts will increase. These people will usually continue “hunting” for freebies even once the financial climate improves, so that is basically more people getting more freebies, which in turn will drive advertisers to use this marketing technique more, and offer more great offers.