Restaurants have ‘work cut out’ as discount voucher use still rising

29-Apr-2012 - Last updated on 30-Apr-2012 at 10:40 GMT

Nearly half of women say restaurant discount vouchers are very or extremely important - compared to just over a third of men

Almost half of UK restaurant-goers – equating to some 15 million people - rate discount vouchers as ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ important when deciding where to dine out, with the number continuing to increase.

This is the finding of new research by Peach BrandTrack into voucher use in restaurants and pubs. It discovered that 42 per cent of consumers place such high importance on vouchers, also revealing that 6 per cent now use a voucher every time they eat out.

“Operators want to move away from vouchers, but this research shows they have their work cut out,” said Peter Martin, chief executive of Peach Factory. “Consumers are now very savvy about their vouchers, and brands will have to be just as smart in their marketing if they are to find other ways of driving sales.

“Voucher culture is in engrained, and it is not just about finding savings. Hunting down the best deal is a way of life for many. The people using them are not hard-up pensioners but more likely tech-savvy, educated under-35s.”

Peach BrandTrack’s survey, which was carried out among 2,000 GB adults in February this year, also reveals that one in seven people has increased their use of vouchers over the last six months, compared to just one in 14 who has cut it. But those increasing their use have tended to eat out more, indicating that vouchers are helping to shore up pubs and restaurants’ footfall in the face of competition from supermarkets—if not necessarily their profit margins.

The survey also found:

Women use vouchers most. Nearly half (46 per cent) say vouchers are very or extremely important—compared to just over a third (38 per cent) of men.
Young people are most hooked. More than half (55 per cent) of 25 to 34 year-olds give vouchers high importance—compared to just 26 per cent of those aged 65 or over.
London is a voucher hotbed. Half (51 per cent) of Londoners rate vouchers as very or extremely important. Scotland (33 per cent) ranks lowest by region.
Voucher websites are here to stay. Over half (56 per cent) use them, with Voucher Codes, Discount Vouchers and GroupOn the most popular.
Voucher users love pizza brands. The three brands whose customers are most likely to say vouchers are very or extremely important to their eating-out decisions are Zizzi, ASK and Prezzo.

Peach BrandTrack is a benchmarking research tool for the eating-out market. For more information, visit www.peach-report.com.