Retailers Relied on Coupons in 2009

Not every form of advertising suffered last year. As the economy soured in the first half of 2009, retailers’ use of coupons soared.

Retailer promotion pages surpassed 9.0 billion in 2009, up 37.7% for the year, “continuing the pattern of significant annual growth rates which began in 2007,” said Marx Promotion Intelligence, a division of TNS Media Intelligence.

Of the 10 most active retailers in promotion pages circulated, just three are supermarkets: Kroger, Publix and Safeway.Kroger slipped from fifth position in 2008 to seventh in 2009; Publix edged down from seventh to eighth; and Safeway maintained its slot in ninth of the Top Ten.

On the strength of a 43.9% rise to more than 1.8 billion pages, Target sustained its No. 1 position. PETSMART rose from fourth to second place. Two of the leading dollar chains soared: Dollar General went from tenth to third place on a 386.2% rise to 885 million pages, and Family Dollar went from seventeenth to sixth place on a 227.5% increase.

The three largest drug chains round out the Top Ten, devoting prominent page space to food promotions to drive visits, basket size and profits.Walgreens is in fourth place, CVS is in fifth, and Rite Aid is in tenth.