COUPONSTAR ANNOUNCES RECORD GROWTH AS CONSUMER DEMAND SOARS FOR INTERNET PRINTABLE COUPONS & VOUCHERS

19th March 2008

As leading FMCG brands and retailers turn to print-at-home coupons to drive in-store sales, Couponstar Ltd anticipates further growth in 2008

Couponstar Ltd, the leading provider of secure and trackable consumer-printed coupon solutions, has announced record growth last year, as demand soars for internet printable coupons & vouchers.

With major FMCG brands increasingly turning to consumer printable coupons as a means of monetising their online marketing campaigns, Couponstar has seen a 400% increase in the number of coupon campaigns run on behalf of clients last year, including campaigns for Unilever, Mars, Colgate Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline (check spelling)and Ocean Spray.

Jared Keen, managing director at Couponstar, explains, “As UK consumers continue to voraciously embrace the Internet and become more sophisticated in their online behaviour, FMCGs are having to find more innovative, interactive methods of engaging with consumers, which increasingly requires them to offer tangible rewards to their customers; a task at which print-at-home coupons excel.”

Keen continues, “As a result of these significant developments, we saw a 513% increase in the number of coupons printed, and a 652% increase in coupons redeemed, which clearly illustrates the appetite and faith consumers have in us.”

As market leaders in the consumer-printable coupon industry, Couponstar’s technology is unique in providing a proven solution to securely and efficiently issue personalised and trackable coupons via the internet, bridging the gap between online marketing and consumers’ offline purchasing behaviour. With typical redemption rates of 23.5% and above - significantly higher than the industry average - Couponstar can help brands cost effectively acquire new customers and drive in-store sales.
 
The success of 2007 was largely due to Couponstar’s innovative new CouponNET™ service, the first online network for distributing consumer-printed coupons and vouchers in the UK, which launched in December 2006. Through the CouponNETTM network Couponstar provides brands with access to a network of leading consumer websites, as well as providing the turn-key platform for distributing printable coupon and voucher offers over the Internet. Since its launch CouponNETTM has attracted unprecedented support from over 60 leading website publishers, including GMTV, UKTV, Yours.co.uk, CloserDiets.co.uk, Now Magazine, and Bounty.com and interest in the offering continues to increase.

Keen concludes, “Following our success in 2007, we have already seen a good start to 2008 with two consecutive record-setting months in January and February in terms of the number of campaigns run, the number of coupons distributed, and the total revenue generated. And, as we continue to expand our offerings to meet the growing demands of our clients we look forward to building on this success even further.”

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