Hours spent clipping coupons from newspaper ads to help reduce cost of purchases may soon be a thing of the past. Mobile couponing, a new technology that allows consumers to redeem digital coupons by having a cashier scan their cell phones, Blackberries, iPhones, and other mobile devices, is a new marketing technique tied to retail software systems. First tested by Unilever at a ShopRite store in Hillsborough, N.J., this clever approach to marketing includes coupons from such brand name products as Breyers ice cream, Dove soap, Hellmann’s mayonnaise, Lipton tea, and a host of others.
The consumer gets the coupons on an Internet-enabled mobile device. A bar-code and number appears on the coupon for the cashier to scan or type in at checkout, so printing of the coupon is unnecessary. The coupon is automatically deleted after redemption.
Given the number of cell phones in usage, mobile couponing has great potential for both customer and retailer. Fast and convenient for time-crunched shoppers, couponing also saves money for retailers since it is paperless and eliminates advertising and processing costs associated with paper coupons.
CounterPoint Software can help you receive your share of mobile couponing profits. Call us for more details at 800-672-4806 or email us.