A brief history of coupons

Coupons used to be kind of a rare thing. They first appeared back in 1887, exclusively as a Coca-Cola promotion. Suddenly, people had the chance to taste a free glass of the soon-to-be-insanely-popular fizzy drink, for just a slip of paper. The idea spread like wildfire, and more and more companies began releasing these discount tickets that would soon be known by all. The idea for coupons was so popular, in fact, that shoppers who used them saved several billion dollars throughout the 20th century!

Pop quiz for the baby boomers: remember coupon-organizer books? Though used mostly by extreme couponers, they did address a real difficulty that arose along with the popularity of coupons: keeping all your different deals in order and making them easy to locate when you were ready to use them. But unless you were well-trained in the art of coupon collecting, these organizer books could quickly become unwieldy, confusing, and, messy.

Our current coupon world

Flash forward to our current digital shopping era, most of them end up going unused. Coupons have evolved quite a bit over the years, and many provide far more value than Americans are even aware of, but there’s a timeless, looming issue: oversaturation.

There are so many different types of coupons, rebates, and deals offered these days, that the only way to get people to use them is to make the experience as simple and straightforward as possible.

The Ibotta way

Welcome to the Ibotta way. Ibotta makes it far simpler (and more rewarding) to save money with a free, easy-to-use mobile app. The Ibotta app not only gives you comprehensive access to thousands of exclusive deals and offers, but also provides you with actual cash back, instead of just discounts, points, or credit.  

Since 2013, Ibotta users have saved over $300 million dollars in cash. Whether you’re buying groceries, a new spring wardrobe, or new tires for your car, Ibotta makes it quick and easy to get real cash back both in-store and online… without the hassle of clipping any paper, or storing and managing any discount codes.

But you don’t have to take our word for it—try Ibotta for yourself! Download the free Ibotta app for iPhone or Android, add offers from your favorite stores and retailers, and start earning your cash back today.