Two thirds of Britons over 50 use online discounts

According to research from a top discount brand, two thirds of Britons are now using online discounts, beating the amount that use vouchers more traditionally found in newspapers and magazines. Furthermore, half of Britons aged over 50 only started using online discounts, promotions and vouchers within the past six to twelve months.

The team at www.vouchercloud.com conducted the research into the older audience following an analysis of website data which highlighted that there has been a 10% increase in the number of over 50s using the site for discounts and voucher codes; 60% of whom are female and 40% of whom are male. Following on from this, 2,196 Britons aged 50 and over were quizzed about their use of discounts, with a particular focus on online discounts that can either be used for purchases made online or in store.

Initially all respondents were asked ‘Do you use discounts, vouchers and promotions in order to save money?’ to which 82% of respondents stated ‘yes’, leaving only 18% that answered ‘no’. These respondents were asked to indicate where they searched for discounts, revealing two thirds (68%) search online, which is more than those who looked in newspapers and magazines for vouchers (61%) and those who check in store magazines and leaflets (56%).

The respondents who stated they use online discounts were asked ‘When did you start searching for and using online discount codes, vouchers and promotions for?’ Almost half of respondents, 49%, stated ‘within the past 6 to 12 months’, and remaining respondents stated either ‘within the past 6 months’ (16%) or ‘within the past year or two’ (14%). When asked how they’d come across them, three fifths, 62%, had been ‘recommended by family members or friends’, followed by those who had ‘seen them shared by friends on social media’ (27%).

Wanting to delve a little deeper, all respondents were then asked what it was about online discounts, promotions and vouchers that they liked most. When provided with a list of possible responses and told to select all that applied, the top 5 results were as follows:

1. I can purchase more using the discounts without worrying about getting it home – 63%
2. I don’t have to go out and can use the discounts online – 45%
3. It’s a good way to bulk buy so I know that I am well stocked – 42%
4. I can share the bargains with my friends on social media – 31%
5. The discounts are better online than in store – 29%

In order to discover a little more about the kind of discounts and vouchers the over-50s age group tend to prefer, the relevant respondents were asked to share their favourite kinds of vouchers. ‘Free deliveries’ came out top with 73% of the vote, followed by ‘buy one get one free’ (62%) and ‘free samples of other products’ (59%).

According to the poll, 36% of respondents admit that they regularly end up purchasing items that they don’t want or need, simply because there is a good offer on, with a further 51% admitting that they often spend more than they were planning to.

Chris Johnson, head of operations at vouchercloud.com, commented: “It’s great that the results of the onsite data and the survey highlight that older generations are becoming more tech-savvy and turning to online discounts just as much as the rest of us. Not only is it convenient for when we can’t get out and about, but it’s also a great way to discover new products, brands and get inspiration for gifts.

“Retailers have already nailed how to target the youth of this day and age, but it’s not just the kids these days who use computers, tablets and smartphones; the older generations are waking up to all of this too. There’s a huge market for retailers to be tapping into.”