CPG Manufacturers Distributed 332 Billion Coupons in 2010

In 2010, marketers once again distributed more CPG coupons than the prior year, reaching 332 billion—the largest single-year distribution quantity ever recorded in the United States, exceeding the prior record set in 2009 by 6.8 percent or 21 billion coupons.

Nearly two-thirds of all coupons distributed in 2010 were for grocery products, up 8 percent from the prior year to 216 billion coupons. The remaining one-third of coupon offers in 2010 —116 billion coupons—were for health & beauty care (HBC) products up 4.5 percent from the prior year. According to the report, seven of the top 10 categories with the highest growth are non-food categories, which can be attributed to marketers’ desire to make these oftentimes discretionary purchases more desirable.