Death of the Coupon

I found this article on MSN.com. I am intrigued by the prospect of having my coupons waiting at the register for me.

Here is the link: Death of the Coupon

Now my comments. I do some drawbacks to this system. I can use multiple paper coupons, and depending on the store, the number I can use varies. So if I buy 12 packs of Huggies diapers, theoretically, I can use 12 paper coupons. There was no information on the use of multiple copies of the electronic coupons.

Secondly, some stores do not have shopper loyalty cards (which is not necessarily a bad thing), such as DeCA (military) commissaries. What happens when you want to use electronic coupons at these locations?

Thirdly, what is the cost to set this system up at stores? If the cost of introducing, tracking, and ensuring the proper application of these electronic coupons, and associated systems, is too expensive, stores may not be willing to utilize it.

As noted in the article, some stores are already making the transition. In reality, it seems that introduction should not be more difficult that the application of rebates that stores often link to shopper loyalty cards. For several chains, your card automatically gets you rebates on certain products, with little or no effort on your part, and those rebates are tracked and displayed on the stores website.