| By :
Andy Grant
Copyright (c) 2011 Grant Galaxy Group, LLC If you aren't familiar with the term "social couponing" then you are missing out on savings on everything from dining out and salon services to entertainment venues and camping equipment. Coupon usage tends to become more popular during recession periods, but the latest trend has truly taken coupons to the next level. Deal-a-day coupon sites, targeted by geographic location, allow consumers to sign up for free and receive an email each day featuring a huge discount on one or more local retailers or service providers. Wondering how much you can save using social coupon sites? Most deals via social coupon sites offer half-off deals or better, with savings up to ninety percent. Deals may be structured as a dollar-off amount (for example pay $25 and get $50 worth of food or merchandise), or a package deal offered at a deep discount (two-night stay with breakfast at an upscale resort for just $150). Not all deals are for decadent expenses like dining out and spa services. Many social coupon sites feature discounts on dental work, chiropractic services and other alternative healing modalities, and even home services such as grass-cutting or painting. Best of all, most coupon sites have reasonable terms, allowing you up to one full year to use any coupon you purchase. Additionally, coupon site subscribers have the opportunity to earn credits or free coupons simply for referring friends and family to the latest deals, making it even easier to save money. As the number of social coupon sites increases, a number of aggregator sites are cropping up. Instead of subscribing to each coupon site and potentially getting inundated with offers, you can visit an aggregator site, which compiles deals from several social coupon sites and organizes a list by city each day. That way, you can visit one site to find all of today's offers. We can expect this social coupon trend to continue for the foreseeable future, most likely with an increase in personalization for users. For example, instead of visiting a social coupon site for Seattle, which may include offers at retailers which are not convenient to you, you would be able to choose smaller cities and suburbs in and around the metropolis. Likewise, some social coupon sites are asking you for input about what kind of deals you'd like to see - that way, you only receive emails for deals that fit your personal interests, which cuts down on extra emails in your in-box. Additionally, we may begin to see interest-based social coupon sites. For example, social coupon sites for children's interests, for personal development, for entrepreneurs, etc. In the meantime, enjoy the savings.
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