Coupons have always annoyed me. I love to save money as much as the next person, but not at the expense of carrying around massive amounts of clutter. I’m reminded of the episode from the last season of Seinfeld where George finds a coupon on the street, puts it in his wallet, and his wallet flies apart under the strain of too many coupons.
Well, coupons are now poised to enter the digital age. Advertisers are beginning to invest in mobile coupons, according to The New York Times. The idea is to have discounts sent to consumers via text messages or other means (more on this below), which the consumers would opt-in to receiving.
This move to digital could be a huge boon for coupons, and the advertising industry as a whole. Mobile coupon company Cellfire recently raised a new $12 million round while Modiv Media took $8 million for mobile marketing, including coupons.
A previous JupiterResearch report stated that 70 percent of consumers surveyed had no interest in using mobile coupons, but the mobile world is evolving quickly. Semacodes or QR codes, two dimensional square barcodes, are one example. Using a cellphone camera, a consumer simply takes a picture of one of these codes and a phone with the correct software can translate it into a coupon or a URL leading to where a coupon can be found. These ads are popular in Japan and can be found everywhere from coffee cups to billboards. Now Google is working with the technology in the U.S. under AdWords.
In the late 1990s several startups tried and failed to implement similar technologies, but the post-iPhone, pre-Android world is a very different place. Would anyone have imagined regularly browsing the Internet on a mobile phone in the late 1990s? No.
If they are already pushing it via AdWords, it might make sense for Google to include Semacode software as a part of its Android platform. Others, such as Neomedia, are working on software for the technology as well.
What makes more sense? Carrying around dozens of slips of paper in your pocket or transferring those over to your cellphone, a device you already need to anyway?
[photo: flickr/fimb]
12 Comments
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Ashley Smith said:
When I enter my local Cinema, I get a coupon sent to me via blue tooth to get cheaper popcorn and coke. Which I then use and how at the counter :)
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MG Siegler said:
@Ashley - very cool usage opportunity.
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streetstylz said:
Based off the award winning Lavasphere technology developed in Germany by Gavitec, the NeoReader features NeoMedia’s patented resolution technology combined with Gavitec’s ultra-small footprint and platform independent algorithms. It is able to read and decipher all common non-proprietary 2D codes (Data Matrix, QR, Aztec) as well as URL embedded 2D codes and all 1D UPC/EAN/Code 128 open source codes. The NeoReader supports direct and indirect code linking, which guarantees maximum interoperability with already existing platforms like 2D Data Matrix Semacodes, and Japanese QR links. This allows the user to click on a variety of codes with a single application installed on their mobile device.
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Andrew Gradus said:
We already run a discount club on mobile.
It is a free club which send out a barcode ID followed with offers by SMS. These can be redeemed in over 12000 stores in the UK. No need for browsing or WAP on mobile in this case just simple SMS. Feel free to let me have any questions. http://www.thelightagency.com -
Andrew Gradus said:
The service can seen at http://www.shopscansave.com
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John Levett said:
Retailers to Send up to 3 billion ‘Mobile Coupons’ to Phone Users by 2011, According to Juniper Research
Hampshire, UK – 23rd April 2008: New figures from analyst firm Juniper Research estimate that almost 3 billion mobile coupons will be issued to Mobile Users by 2011, with just under $7 billion of discounts redeemed.
The new Juniper study finds that mobile coupons are becoming an increasingly important tool for brand owners and retailers to provide a `push to purchase’ capability for mobile marketing and advertising campaigns. The key issues driving the move to mobile coupons include:
- Cost savings on campaigns
- An increase in ARPU
- One-2-one marketing opportunities
- An increase in customer retention for mobile operators – lower churn
- Higher conversion rates
- The expansion of mobile value added services
- Reduced fraudHowever, Juniper identified some notable challenges for the sector, including a hesitancy from some retailers to adopt mobile coupons. In addition, some retailers would have to change from using laser scanners to optical readers that use the required CCD, technology to read barcodes, especially 2D barcodes from mobile phones.
Other key findings from the report include:
• 2.6 billion mobile tickets set to be delivered by 2011
• Early use of mobile barcode technology will be gradually complimented by the emergence of NFC (Near Field Communication)
• A total of almost $87 billion worth of mobile ticketing transactions by 2011Juniper Research defines a mobile coupon as “a coupon sent and stored on a mobile phone that can be exchanged for a rebate, a financial discount etc. at a retailer when the consumer purchases a product.” When compared to their paper cousins, mobile coupons offer a number of distinct advantages allowing the coupon issuer a direct connection between themselves and the consumer using the coupon.
Juniper Research illustrates the current and near-future status of mobile ticketing and coupons with analysis and interviews from representatives of some of the leading organisations in the growing mobile ticket and coupon industry.
White papers and further details of the study ‘Mobile Ticketing & Coupon: Strategies & Markets 2007-2011′ can be freely downloaded from http://www.juniperresearch.com. Alternatively, please contact John Levett at mailto:john.levett@juniperresearch.com, Telephone +44(0)1256 830002.
Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector, providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.
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MG Siegler said:
@John - great data. Thanks.
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gl4com said:
I do believe in mobile coupons, that’s why we developed moQpon which is a mobile coupons platform distribution.
One of the features is to be able to subscribe to coupons campaign just sending an sms or browsing to the website.
It’s fast, effettive and free.If you wanna start receiving or distributing mobile coupons go to http://www.moqpon.com
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Jeff said:
Traditional advertising (print, radio, billboards, etc), are good mediums for brand maintenance/awareness. Successful mobile advertising needs to have an immediate and personalized “call to action” resulting in instant gratification. Check out Dizgo (http://www.dizgo.com), a location-based mobile ad platform being tested in Boulder, CO. Dizgo (discounts on-the-go allows the retailer to create self-service campaigns that create real-time demand for their products and services. Consumers use the instant discounts to influence near-term purchasing decisions.
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Jim Dugan said:
Free Instant Mobile Coupons on http://www.GripOffs.com using a patent pending software technology system called PipPops - Partners In Profit Point Of Purchase Savings - uses a central mobile platform, allowing an advertiser to ‘truly’ create their own coupon offers including barcodes, allowing users to access the site on their Mobi, select their particular preference at the point of purchase, show the barcode for scanning/redemption, all the while, allowing the advertiser to see all of the analytics in ‘real-time’. He can edit his offer every 5 minutes if he wants to. If he has his Mobi open to http://www.GripOffs.com to his particular ad and makes a change in the offer on his laptop, when he reaches over to ‘refresh’ his Mobi - it’s changed - in an instant. In fact, by using this Instant Change Forever system, he has complete control in real time and is able to see who, what, where, when, and how their offer was either looked at and/or redeemed. It’s Instant Results! It’s an Advertisers Dream. It’s Incredible. There’s nothing like it on the market. Creating an ad and getting it up, knowing exactly what the analytics are and knowing exactly where every dollar is going is finally available on the Mobi. You can’t get any faster than RIGHT NOW!
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Ola Ayeni said:
Everyone promises a true solution. How come many do not deliver such. Using sms coupons that can be measureable is still the best option. Many companies do a trial with some big names and then later drop off due to lack of actual measure able impact on spend or sales. Let us leave the hype and provide true solution that impact bottom line.
Ola. Ayeni
Mobile Dialog
http://www.m-dialog.com
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