AUSTRALIA'S love affair with online buying may have thrown bricks and mortar businesses a curve ball, but many are now clawing back market share with a growing use of online coupons.
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Once the domain of cupcake bakeries that wanted to sell a dozen baked treats for a discounted price if people paid online and then walked into the shop to collect them, coupons are now a much bigger marketing and sales avenue.
The sale of coupons in Australia was worth an estimated $63 million in 2010, but grew seven fold the following year to be valued at $498 million by the end of 2011. Business analyst firm Telsyte believes sales will top $650 million by the end of the 2012 calendar year.
In a sign of the evolving nature of the coupons, overseas holidays are now routinely being offered and very recently one of life's most significant and expensive events was offered: a wedding.
The Tuscany Wine Estate Resort in the Hunter Valley advertised a coupon, giving a 61 per cent discount, on a wedding ceremony and reception worth just over $10,000.
Director of the resort Bill Gregson said it was a ''flag flying'' exercise, that he hoped would create repeat business.
''We were looking to drive business at times that we know we are traditionally quieter,'' he said.
''The period of time we were marketing was May, June, July, August, September with some dates in December and January - again not strong wedding periods.
''It's a cost-recovery marketing exercise. We sold about six of them. It's $3999 for the reception and ceremony here.''
However, he said it was still a $10,000-$20,000 day for the couple because they had to ''buy the dress, the flowers, hire the car and so on''.
Spokeswoman for consumer group Choice Ingrid Just said consumers were very careful with their spending and responded to offers that gave big discounts on products and services.
''The key thing for consumers is to read the terms and conditions very carefully because some of them are unique and not what you would otherwise get if you were paying full price,'' she said.
''These are offered on tight time frames and it makes you hurry up and make a decision and for something like a wedding you may need more time to decide if you want it.
''What we say is - pick up the phone and have a conversation with the business offering it and discuss those things and make a decision. Don't let the lure of a good deal stop you from doing your due diligence as a buyer.''
