Hearst to Offer Coupons on Sites

Publisher hopes cost-conscious consumers will increase traffic.

By Jason Fell
04/13/2009

Hearst is looking to tap into the growing number of recession-hit consumers turning online to find discounted shopping. The publisher has partnered with Coupons.com to launch a “coupons and deals” section on Delish.com, featuring a gallery of coupons for users to print and use.

The launch follows a month-long test on QuickandSimple.com, which resulted in 55,600 coupons printed at a value of roughly $100,000. “With more than 5.5 million unique visitors logging on to Delish.com each month and an increased number of promotions on the site, we expect coupon printing volume to be at an all-time high,” Chuck Cordray, senior vice president and general manager of Hearst Magazines Digital Media, said in a statement.

In addition to the coupon gallery, Hearst will promote a weekly Hearst-branded e-newsletter managed by Coupons.com. Hearst plans to launch the coupon initiative on more of its sites in the coming months. A link to the coupon gallery will be added to each site’s main navigation functionality.

Online recipes will feature technology that links specific words to relevant coupons, Hearst said. The technology will assist in driving traffic and page views to the galleries.

“We expect the initiative will increase traffic and page views from both the weekly newsletter and over time from search,” Chris Johnson, Hearst's vice president of content and business development, told FOLIO:. “We also expect that providing this in-demand service on our sites will translate to increased engagement from our current audiences.”

Hearst will share revenue with Coupons.com and will sell traditional banner ads around each coupon gallery, the publisher said.

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There is no way they are

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 11:44.

There is no way they are paying $2.00 per coupon printed. Average coupon savings is less than $0.25. Someone is losing money because the manufacturers are definitely not paying that much.

Re: There is no way

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 12:01.

This article doesn't say anything about paying $2 per coupon printed. It doesn't say anything about price at all. I'd bet they pay more like 2 cents per coupon. Wouldn't that make more sense?

That makes more sense or

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 13:10.

That makes more sense or even less.....wonder what "which resulted in 55,600 coupons printed at a value of roughly $100,000" means.