According to a survey in the marketing publication eMarketer, over 92 million of us will use online coupons in 2012. Not only do we use them to save money, but to research and compare products as well.

Here are some stats:

• 27% of us prefer to receive digital coupons instead of cutting them out of the newspaper.
• 80% of e-coupon fans like their convenience, especially those that arrive by email.
• 70% say that e-coupons are easier to manage, and help with product research and comparison shopping.
• E-coupons are particularly popular with PC users, compared to tablet or smartphone users. 37% of PC users pull the trigger on a sale, compared to 17% of tablet users and 13% of smartphone users.

That last one is mildly interesting. Personally, I don’t consider myself a cutting-edge technology user. I don’t have a tablet but I can tell you that, as far as pre-shopping research, the PC is so much more convenient. High-speed internet, a big screen, nothing compares. On the ground, standing in the aisle at OfficeMax comparing printers? Then yes, the smartphone is awesome. But I tend to go to the store having done all my research.

Anyway, 92 million of us are e-coupon users. That sounds like a lot but, as a percentage of all coupon users, that’s still only about one-quarter. That is still second place to print coupon users. So, as the younger, more tech-savvy population grows and ages, you can count on that percentage to grow, and more and more retailers to jump on board the bandwagon.

Are you an e-coupon user? What are your thoughts?

(photo: info.opas.com)