Coupon websites have taken on the function once held by coupon exchange clubs and coupon swap bins found at local supermarkets. Coupon websites allow a user to access printable coupons, as well as product discount codes, all indexed by geographic location and product type.

The ease of navigation of these coupon sites vary from sites that are intuitive and easy to navigate, to others which are somewhat more crude in their design. They all do however, serve the same purpose; they serve as a digital aggregator for discounts that are available for nearly every classification of product sold to retail consumers.

There are many coupon websites, some of the most popular include CouponMom.com, CouponCabin.com, CoolSavings.com and Valpak.com.

CouponMom.com offers free membership and includes sections from which users can browse printable coupons in categories ranging from grocery stores to restaurants. This particular coupon website also incorporates a forum and blog section which allows users to interact and exchange coupon tips.

CouponCabin.com greets visitors with a web 2.0 look and feel. Its site offers the user fast browsing of current coupons from the home page itself. It also offers extended accessibility via an iPhone app and a downloadable Firefox toolbar which alerts members of the latest coupon deals. Members can also be kept abreast of the latest information via their presence on Twitter and Facebook.

CoolSavings.com offers similar functionality, incorporating added features, such as a price comparison tab, a "free stuff" section and a "recipes" section which includes a listing of coupons and discounts that can be used to acquire the ingredients for that particular dish.

ValPak.com uses its website as a delivery mechanism for coupons and deals available from large and small vendors specific to a users local area.

Coupons exist because they are a marketing tool used by product manufacturers and retailers.http://www.straussglobalpr.com/Coupon/allabout.htm They are used to drive traffic towards new products and to cement customer loyalty with existing products. Retailers sometimes print their own "in-store" coupons to augment their competitiveness with other chains in the area.

In the case of traditional printed coupons, when a retailer accepts one, not only are they compensated for the face value of the discount offered by the manufacturer, but they also receive an 8 cent handling fee.http://www.straussglobalpr.com/Coupon/allabout.htm

Once a coupon has been used by a customer, the retailer submits it to a regional coupon clearinghouse. It is these clearinghouses that function as the link between retailer and manufacturer. The clearinghouse sorts all of the coupons received, remits them for payment to the manufacturer and then routes the corresponding payment back to each individual retailer.http://www.straussglobalpr.com/Coupon/allabout.htm

In recent years, the use of coupon codes, or discount codes, has become more popular. These codes make use of an alphanumeric code; by which, the customer can obtain a purchasing discount at the time of checkout, be it at a brick and mortar store or online.