Several years of inflation and now tariffs are making plenty of things more expensive, from groceries to buy before tariffs kick in to tech and clothing on sites like Temu, Shein, and more. And that made us wonder: How is couponing changing to reflect our economic reality?
So for our State of Couponing 2025 survey, we polled 3,250 of our KCL app users to get the lowdown on what's driving people to coupon, which kind of coupons they want the most these days, and what's making it easier (or harder) to save money.
Overall, our survey found that couponing is more of a survival tactic than a hobby, that couponers would much rather save on groceries than vacations, and that we're officially in the era of smartphone digital couponing.
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Couponing is no longer extreme, but essential, with 71% using it to get by.
While extreme couponing had its moment as entertainment, couponing is now overwhelmingly about affordability and necessity, according to our survey, with 71% using coupons to afford stuff they need and items that are out of budget. Meanwhile, the fun parts of couponing are taking a backseat.
40% rely on coupons to afford essentials they're struggling to buy.
31% use coupons to purchase items that were previously out of their budget.
16% are motivated by getting free items.
13% see couponing as a fun game or hobby.
These days, saving on groceries is more exciting than saving on flights.
Both this year and last, we asked KCL users which coupons they wanted the most. And there's been a shift. In 2025, couponers are focusing on essentials like food, personal care, and household goods, while coupons on clothing, restaurants, toys, and travel are becoming a little less interesting than they were last year.
Coupons KCL Users Want the Most in 2025:
Groceries: This was the most-wanted coupon category at 89% (86% last year).
Personal Care: Demand is still high at 80% this year (also 80% last year).
Household Items: This is a top category at 75% this year, but demand is down from 85% last year.
Home Goods (including furniture): Interest is on the rise, reaching 62% this year, up from 55% last year.
Clothing: Interest is lukewarm at 52% this year versus 76% last year.
Restaurant Coupons: Finding coupons for dining out is less of a priority now, at 49% this year versus 56% last year.
School Supplies: Demand is lower at 30%, but steady compared to last year (33%).
Travel: Interest in travel coupons is down to 28% this year (versus 39% last year).
Toys: This was the lowest priority for couponers (25% this year versus 34% last year). But to be fair, demand might tick up closer to the holidays.
Overall, couponers are most excited about savings on the necessities. Think personal care and groceries (and who doesn't need to save on eggs these days?). In contrast, the stuff that's a little less essential (toys, travel, and clothing, for example) isn't as high of a couponing priority.
There's one outlier, though. What's with the growing demand for coupons on home goods and furniture? That's not exactly an essential category. But there's a trend at work here: According to a study from Harvard and another from Angi, people are stuck in their current homes because of high mortgage rates. So they're spending on home improvements instead. In other words, buying a new sofa is a whole lot cheaper than a new mortgage. This trend came through loud and clear in our survey.
Couponers want stores and couponing sites to keep the savings simple.
The fave coupons for 2025 are percent-off discounts and BOGO offers. This pretty much matches our Black Friday survey results. In other words, shoppers still want simple coupons, with clear value. Free-gifts-with-purchase offers and sweepstakes are less popular. These are the coupons our readers are into:
75% love percentage discounts.
74% love BOGO deals.
59% love dollar-off coupons.
53% love a free gift with purchase.
38% love seasonal discounts.
14% love sweepstakes / contests.
7% selected other.
Speaking of simplicity, shoppers say complexity is the enemy of couponing. Their biggest frustration? There are too many sources for tracking down coupons. The second-biggest frustration? Couponing takes too much time.
21% find couponing too complicated due to multiple apps and options.
20% are frustrated by the time it takes.
20% struggle with store rules on stacking and item limits.
20% are frustrated by expired coupons or promo codes.
19% say the products they buy rarely have coupons or deals.
Couponers are shifting from paper to digital.
So now we know shoppers don't have a ton of patience for coupon complexity. Which led to our next question: Which kind of couponing tools and methods do you use the most?
Overwhelmingly, our users go for coupons that they can pull up on their phone, so wherever they go, the savings go with them. Digital coupons are in first place. Retailer loyalty program apps (which make it simple to scan a barcode on your phone in-store and apply your rewards balance to your purchase) are getting more popular than they were last year. And rebate apps (which let you scan your receipts from pretty much any store for cash back) are also on the rise. Physical coupons? Shoppers still use them, but less than they did last year.
89% are using digital coupons (holding steady from 90% last year).
79% are leveraging retailer loyalty programs and apps (a notable increase from 69% last year).
58% use rebate or cash-back apps like Ibotta, Shopkick, or Fetch (up from 54% last year).
41% still rely on printable coupons (though usage has declined from 48% last year).
16% use Universal Coupons / Coupon24, which shows some are using this new form of coupon technology. It's so new, we didn't even ask about it in our survey last year. If you're wondering what they are, they're coupons that work at multiple stores. Learn more about Universal Coupons here.
In other words, KCL users want straightforward savings on their phone and in real time, with no need to remember a coupon binder or watch the mail for flyers.
Shoppers are going local for savings on essentials and online for deals on non-essentials.
The local grocery store is still the first choice for KCL couponers when it comes to shopping for groceries, food, personal care, and baby products. Walmart follows in second place.
Top Stores for Couponing on Essentials and Groceries:
67% coupon at their local or regional grocery store.
58% use coupons at Walmart.
58% also coupon at drugstores like CVS and Walgreens.
52% apply coupons when shopping on Amazon.
33% coupon at Target.
It's clear from our survey that despite national retailers and online giants like Amazon offering grocery options, couponers still look to their local or regional stores when they want to save money. And that's actually a good tactic. Grocery chains have their own apps, which make it easy to find store offers (check out all the coupons from Kroger, for example). They're also compatible with cash-back apps like Fetch and Ibotta.
Meanwhile, shoppers are going online, mostly to Amazon, for apparel, home goods, electronics, and toys (the less essential stuff).
Top Stores for Couponing for Non-Grocery Items:
66% use coupons when shopping on Amazon.
55% coupon at Walmart.
47% use coupons at drugstores like CVS and Walgreens.
37% coupon at department stores like Kohl’s and Macy’s.
36% apply coupons at Target.
From a savings perspective, this is a smart strategy. Amazon has digital coupons and promotional credit offers that can help you save on home goods and cleaning supplies, not to mention their Subscribe & Save offers that can get you up to 15% off when you sign up for auto shipments. So while shipping time might not make Amazon the first choice for groceries you need now, our KCL readers are turning to it for pretty much everything else.
How KCL Is Giving Budget-Obsessed, Time-Strapped Shoppers What They Want
Our survey makes it clear. In this economic climate, couponing is a matter of necessity and no longer just a hobby. And KCL is helping shoppers stay ahead of potential tariff price jumps with tools and resources that defy the full price on the tag, however high it might get.
Our app does the couponing heavy lifting for you.
As our survey says, people don't like spending a lot of time on saving money. Our free KCL app has some features that help with that:
Deal Planner: Our new Deal Planner feature lets you sign up for push alerts on your phone when sales go live, so there's no need to remember to check retailers' sites or ads. We'll just let you know when sales start.
Set up deal alerts for stores and product types: You can set up alerts for types of products and even specific stores. They’ll all go into your app inbox so you can find them in one place.
My List: Our My List feature in our app acts like a running shopping list. If you see a deal you like in the KCL app but aren’t quite ready to buy, you can save it with a single tap and find it later.
We're keeping an eye on tariffs for you.
This year's been a rollercoaster when it comes to tariffs. But we're keeping an eye on food essentials that could go up in cost and tracking which price is considered good these days, so you'll be able to tariff-proof your pantry with smart grocery buys. For example, if you're buying chocolate chips and you see them for $0.27 an ounce or lower, you'll know to buy after checking our list.
We're scouring major retailers for their coupons.
Our experts are sourcing the best coupons all day, every day. You can check out the real-time deals here. You can also follow us on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Telegram, so you get coupons on the socials you check the most.
Survey Methodology
The KCL State of Couponing 2025 survey, conducted between March 21 - 24, 2025, surveyed 3,250 of our app users.
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