Paperless coupons growing in popularity

CHICAGO Almost 3,000 grocery stores in the United States could offer paperless coupons by the end of the year, according to a Chicago-based company that offers the service to retailers.

Unicous Marketing announced Tuesday that it foresees 2,800 stores using its EZ-PIC paperless, in-store coupons by the end of 2008. More than 1,000 already do, including BI-LO, Big Y, Food City and Kings.

Stores can advertise EZ-PIC coupons on their shelves and consumers then electronically redeem them in the check-out line.

“As retailers and manufacturers understand the effectiveness of EZ-PIC, our store base and product selection continues to grow,” said John Thompson, Unicous’ vice president of operations.