Coupon Web sites attracting more visits

Erin Zureick — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:45:37 +0000

As consumer prices rise and the economy founders, Web surfers are scouring cyberspace for deals.

A new study released this week by market research firm Hitwise showed that online coupon clipping is on the rise.

Hitwise told Reuters that U.S. visits to certain custom coupon Web sites increased 66 percent from May 2007 to May of this year.

Heather Dougherty, research director at Hitwise, said shoppers are trying to cope with cost of living increases.

"While discretionary income is shrinking for some households, consumers are still shopping online, but making sure they find the best deals," she said in a statement.

Coupons.com led the pack within the category, grabbing 29 percent of the market and chalking up a 190 percent increase since last year. Coupon Mountain and Eversave rounded out the top three with 14 percent and 6 percent, respectively.

When Hitwise measured traffic from the week ending June 6, they found that search engines directed 20 percent of penny-pinching shoppers to coupon sites. Of the top search terms, 60 percent included a reference to a specific brand or branded product.

Monthly visits to comparison shopping Web sites also increased 60 percent from May 2007 to May of this year, Hitwise spokesman Matt Tatham said.

Looking for a bargain? Here are some other coupon sites:

Food recalls worry shoppers

Erin Zureick — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:01:49 +0000

Shoppers loading up their carts may be becoming more wary of the food they pick up from the shelves, according to a food safety survey by Deloitte Consulting LLP.

The survey, which polled 1,110 consumers across America on April 21, found that 57 percent of people stopped eating a type of food either permanently or temporarily because of a food recall.

The poll also found a sharp contrast in consumer perceptions of imported food versus domestic food, with 56 percent reporting that they think imported food is "not at all" or "somewhat" safe. Eighty percent said they think food produced domestically is safe.

Meat recalls ranked as a top food safety concern. Seventy-eight percent of consumers were concerned about beef recalls, while 67 percent were worried about chicken recalls.

Dairy recalls and fresh fruit/vegetable recalls followed at 53 percent each.

The results were released as restaurants and retailers began to pull certain types of tomatoes from their menus and shelves after a salmonella scare that has resulted in 145 reported cases and 23 hospitalizations, the U.S. Food and Drug administration said as of Saturday. The largest recall ever of meat in the U.S. occurred in February, mainly involving beef products.

Survey respondents also overwhelmingly (89 percent) said they want to see stores sell more fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms, and 69 percent said they were willing to pay slightly more as a result.

Full survey results can be found here.

(Phot: Reuters)

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Coupon Web sites attracting more visits

Food recalls worry shoppers