Val-Pak now offers a little bit of home away from home. The co-op mailer is promoting coupons that can be used by tourists or business travelers for services such as dry cleaning, rental cars and restaurants.
Someone about to take a trip can get on Val-Pak’s Web site (www.valpak.com), key in the ZIP code or just the city and state to which they are traveling, and the site will display coupons that can be used in that area. Travelers click on the coupons they want and print them out.
One reason the coupons are appealing is the high price of travel: It can cost more than $400 a day for a family of four, according to the American Automobile Association.
“The idea is to communicate to travelers that the way to save money locally is the same way they can save money when they travel,” says Todd Leiser, vice president of Internet technology services for Largo, FL-based Cox Target Media Inc., Val-Pak’s parent company.
Another reason is the draw of the familiar. With 30,000 coupons available online in 187 different markets, site visitors can easily locate coupons for their favorite national chains, such as Papa John’s Pizza, Burger King or McDonald’s.
Val-Pak has affiliation agreements with 200 Web sites where coupons may be printed out. Central locations for coupon hunters are on Yahoo!, which has a coupon section; at one of the 25 city sites run by Cox; or at Shoppinglist.com, which lists products, prices and sale items from numerous stores when a visitor enters a ZIP code or city and state.
“A lot of it is about saving money; a lot of it is about knowing what’s available,” says Shoppinglist president/CEO Lam Chao. “[Many] people who visit a new place like to see what’s hot in that region.”
In addition to the partnerships, Val-Pak advertises the service by printing its Web site address on the 460 million envelopes it mails annually and promotes the idea of using coupons when on the road with an insert tucked into the co-op.
Leiser admits there’s no way to track how many people are using Val-Pak’s coupons for out-of-town services. That’s in the offing for the new year.
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