Free-Standing Inserts, Including Coupons and Circulars Are Still Holding Strong

According to Brian Costello, former vice president and general manager at Valassis Direct Mail and now owner of Costello Group, a marketing consulting firm, 90 percent of coupons still are sourced through print. He says preprints are doing well as a newspaper revenue source, with only about a 1 percent to 2 percent annual decline, while other revenue sources are declining more significantly.

"The FSI is very economical for retailers," Costello said. "It’s an incredibly efficient way to market services. Digital hasn’t figured out how to have the kind of reach with that kind of pricing."