by web$aver
June 16, 2026
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Few marketing tools are proven to influence consumer purchasing decisions as directly as coupons and cashback offers. For decades Brands have used promotions to drive product trial, increase purchase size and frequency, and grow Brand loyalty.
However, before investing in promotional campaigns CPG Brand managers share the same fundamental questions about a promotion’s effectiveness, ability to influence consumer behaviour and ROI.
The bottom line is: Will this promotion help my Brand acquire more consumers, generate incremental sales and retain consumers for the long-term?
In this article we take our 20+ years of coupon industry experience, along with extensive research conducted over decades to answer these questions, to help Brand Managers make better informed decisions about promotional campaigns.
1. Will online coupons and cashback offers generate incremental sales, or simply reward purchases that would have happened anyway?
While some existing purchasers will redeem offers, the evidence from decades of CPG promotions shows that well-executed coupon and cashback campaigns generate substantial incremental sales beyond normal baseline purchasing.
Promotions influence consumer behavior in several ways. They encourage consumers to try new products, increase basket size and frequency and switch from competing brands. They can also re-engage lapsed consumers who have not purchased recently.
In many categories, particularly during periods of economic pressure, consumers actively seek promotions before making purchasing decisions.
The key is targeting. Coupons and cashback offers can be structured to focus on new buyers, competitive users, specific retailers, geographic markets, or strategic product lines. When properly designed, these programs become a strategic growth tool rather than a simple discount.
For Brands, the question is not whether promotions can generate incremental sales, but how much incremental volume can be generated while maintaining ROI.
2. What ROI can we expect from the campaign?
The ROI of a campaign varies by category, offer value, brand strength, and campaign objectives, but online coupons and cashback offers are among the most measurable marketing investments available to CPG Brands.
Unlike reach or awareness advertising campaigns, promotions produce a direct and trackable consumer action. Brands can measure unit sales, redemptions, trial rates, sales lift, retailer performance, and more.
The strongest returns are often achieved when promotions are used strategically rather than continuously. For example when launching a new product or driving trial among new consumers.
Savvy CPG Brands view promotions as a consumer acquisition investment and not as a short-term sales booster. Even if the first purchase is subsidized, the long-term value comes from retaining consumers who become repeat purchasers.
The ability to directly attribute consumer response makes promotions one of the most accountable forms of marketing investment available to CPG marketers.
3. Can the promotion attract new consumers and drive product trial?
Yes. Product trial is one of the strongest and most proven applications for online coupons and cashback offers.
Consumers are naturally hesitant to purchase unfamiliar products. Promotions reduce the perceived risk associated with trying something new. A coupon or cashback offer lowers the cost of experimentation and gives consumers a reason to move beyond their habitual purchasing patterns.
Consumer research consistently shows that savings incentives are among the most effective mechanisms to encourage product trial. Once a consumer experiences the product and likes it, future purchases can occur without additional incentives.
For CPG Brands seeking growth, trial is the necessary first step toward building long-term loyalty, and promotions remain one of the most effective tools to create that initial purchase.
4. How likely are consumers to switch from a competing Brand because of the offer?
The short answer is ‘Very likely’, especially in categories where products are viewed as broadly comparable and consumers are sensitive to price.
In many grocery categories, consumers may have preferred brands, but they are not locked into them. A compelling coupon or cashback offer can provide the final push needed to try an alternative product.
Consumer research repeatedly shows that the majority of consumers are willing to try new Brands when presented with meaningful savings opportunities. Our own internal research has confirmed this tendency on dozens of occasions.
This behavior becomes even more pronounced during periods of economic uncertainty as in the present.
For challenger brands, promotions can create opportunities to compete against larger brands with larger advertising budgets. The offer creates a reason for consumers to reconsider their normal purchasing behavior and evaluate alternatives.
5. What coupon offer value is needed to influence consumer behavior?
In most CPG categories, consumers respond best when the offer feels meaningful relative to the product price. If the savings are too small, consumers may ignore the promotion entirely. If the savings are excessively large, Brands may sacrifice margin unnecessarily.
The goal is not necessarily to provide the largest possible discount. The goal is to provide enough value to motivate action.
Generally speaking smaller discounts encourage increased purchases among existing customers. Moderate discounts are often sufficient to encourage trial in new consumers and stronger offers are most effective when targeting competitive switching or supporting a launch.
The most effective approach is to test multiple offer levels and measure response over time. Many Brands discover that there is a “sweet spot” where consumer response increases dramatically without requiring excessive promotional spend.
The objective is to maximize the change in consumer behavior, and Brands learn what it takes to accomplish this goal over time.
For CPG Brands, online coupons and cashback offers remain one of the most effective tools to influence consumer behaviour at the point of purchase. They help drive product trial, Brand switching and incremental sales while delivering a clear and measurable return on investment.
To gain further insights into the five questions or to put the power of online coupons and cashback offers to work for your CPG Brand get in touch with webSaver.
With over 10 years leading the Canadian online coupons marketplace and 150 Million coupon issued we know coupons. We’ve worked with 90% of Canada’s leading consumer packaged goods brands providing them with the online coupons and cashback offer solutions that generate real value for their business. Whether your strategic objective is customer acquisition, customer lift (Increased transaction size and frequency) or customer retention webSaver can help.
