Do you mind adverts if they mean you pay less?

Would you be prepared to pay less for a product in return for it alerting you to deals nearby, or carrying complementary advertising? If so, how much? 10%? 25% or even 50%?

You may never have been directly asked such a question before, but it’s clear that consumers are increasingly willing to accept sponsored advertising if they get something in return.

Most users of services such as Gmail, for example, are willing trade off sponsored links in return for the large storage space on offer. Similarly, smartphone owners are generally happy to download and use a free version of an app in the knowledge that it has been subsidised by onscreen advertising.

This sponsored shopping model is now extending into a range of physical products. Amazon’s Kindle Fire, for example, which was launched in the US last year and is sure to arrive in the UK soon, comes in two versions.

One, which is described as “with special offers” sells for $79, and has localised offers and ads as a screen saver. Meanwhile, a more expensive “without special offer” version is $109. That’s a 38% premium over the sponsored version.

Companies such as Amazon are keen to portray the special offers as beneficial to consumers in that they are targeted by location and provide good savings.

For advertisers this makes sense, especially as they shift away from traditional media and try to get closer to consumers in new ways.

For various products feeling the squeeze on margins, carrying some type of non-competitive advertising could also be financially beneficial – or even crucial. Here in the UK, for example, I’ve already seen Tesco’s private-label milk carrying advertisements for complementary branded products, such as Yakult.

So, in the future, could we see spirits brands advertising on private-label tonic bottles or ready meals sporting promotions for ice cream or pudding manufacturers?

Seems perfectly plausible. The question is how far shoppers will tolerate the encroachment of advertising in this way and how clearly the benefits and savings are communicated to them.