Online circulars expand retailers’ reach

Retailers have been using printed sales circulars to drive traffic to their stores for years. And a few now are starting to put them online on their own web sites. Companies such as CoolSavings.com are helping retailers expand their reach even further by adding retailer circulars from such stores as GNC and Petsmart to its own consumer web site, where 4 million members go to look for deals at retailers and online stores. Steve Golden, chairman of CoolSavings, says the web site had 13.5 million visits in the first quarter.

“Retailers will put circulars on their sites but we can give retailers more reach because of our traffic,” says Golden. “Retailers still have to reach out to consumers online. They can’t just rely on consumers to come to them.” CoolSavings can combine circular offers with its established base of coupons and discount deals it has with retailers, which can give consumers incentive to shop at stores and web sites.