MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - Redemption values for digital coupons outperformed newspaper coupons by more than 10 to 1, new statistics from Coupons.com reports.

For example, the Grocery iQ smartphone app climbed 170 percent in value last year to reach more than $858 million, MediaPost Communications reports. Newspaper coupon value grew between 8 percent and 16 percent last year.

"For the first time in almost two decades, the use of coupons increased in 2009 ... due (in part) to the growth of digital coupons. ... More consumers made them part of their shopping routine," said Steven Boal, Coupons.com CEO.

Other research bolsters the company??s claims of digital coupon growth last year. For instance, coupons/rewards ranked fifth in the fastest-growing Internet category in 2009, according to Nielsen.

Google search terms "printable coupons" and "online printable coupons" soared 186 percent and 178 percent, respectively. Yahoo ranked "coupons" first on its economy-related search queries, ahead of "unemployment," "stimulus plan," "cash for clunkers," and "student loans."

Ready-to-eat cereal topped the popular product category for digital coupons, reaching the same ranking as in 2008. Salty snacks, ranked third in 2008, dropped to number five, and sweet snacks took the third slot.