CPGmatters: Discrimination in Stores Hurts Coupon Use and Redemption
Through a special arrangement, what follows is an excerpt of a current article from the monthly e-zine, CPGmatters, presented here for discussion.
Does perceiving or experiencing discrimination in the store influence coupon use and redemption by minorities?
A researcher who has studied this topic thinks so. Even very subtle and trivial behavior by store personnel - largely at checkout - can be a barrier to coupon redemption, according to Dr. Anne Brumbaugh, associate professor marketing, College of Charleston.
Her national research shows that shoppers who perceive discrimination suffer negative emotions. They believe that the cashier is looking down on them. This affects how many coupons they redeem - or even if they bring coupons to the store the next time.
"We are putting a lot of pressure on the minimum-wage cashier," said Ms. Brunbaugh, speaking in a presentation at the annual Industry Coupon Conference hosted by the Association of Coupon Professionals (ACP).
Ms. Brumbaugh explained that a "meta-perception" is what people think another people think of them. This perception often has an impact on behavior. It prompts people to do or not do certain things. So, if a shopper believes that a cashier thinks the shopper is "low class" for using coupons, this perception will influence future behavior.
She said that fundamentally there are two kinds of coupon users and their meta-perceptions: those who feel like they will be seen as cheap or poor and those who feel they are seen as smart shoppers.
Here is how Ms. Brumbaugh explained her research: Consumers who are made to feel like smart shoppers when redeeming coupons at the store feel encouraged to use more coupons on future shopping trips. On the other hand, consumers who are made to feel embarrassed, awkward, and inferior feel discouraged - in effect, punished - for using coupons. They would naturally want to avoid or minimize this negative experience again by reducing or eliminating the number of coupons they use and the amount of time they spend doing so.
Ms. Brumbaugh's earlier studies of Hispanic coupon usage uncovered other insights into the barriers to coupon use from the consumers themselves. The take-away was that Hispanics are simply not as familiar with coupons as mainstream consumers. There are language and discrimination problems in the store, and the small stores that Hispanics frequent may not accept coupons. Finally, the offers are often "not right" in terms of face value or the product being promoted.
"These results say that to induce couponing with a Hispanic customer, you have to have a relationship," said Ms. Brumbaugh. "One way of doing that is to distribute a coupon in-person so that there's a human - preferably a Spanish-speaking Hispanic human - giving it out."
One ideal scenario, she added, was to distribute a coupon at an
in-store sampling event. "You have a human, a sample of the product, and the coupon all there. You've got that relationship prior to asking them to redeem the coupon."
Discussion Question: Does perceiving or experiencing discrimination in the store influence coupon use and redemption by minorities? Or is it that the process is demeaning for everyone, regardless of race or class? What can be done about it?