From the Wal-Street Journal - Seeking to marry a ubiquitous device with a time-tested marketing technique in a sour economy, Unilever plans to begin a trial run Sunday of a new technology that lets consumers redeem digital coupons by having a supermarket cashier scan their cellphones.
The test, being conducted at a ShopRite store in Hillsborough, N.J., will include discount offers for some of the Anglo-Dutch packaged-goods company's most popular brands, including Breyers ice cream, Dove soap, Hellmann's mayonnaise and Lipton tea. Samplesaint, a Chicago mobile-technology firm, developed the system.
"This has been a Holy Grail thing that people have been trying to figure out," says Marc Shaw, director of integrated marketing at Unilever, the first major marketer to test such a service in the U.S. "I think this is on target for where consumers' heads are at right now."
To get the coupons, customers must visit the Web site Samplesaint.com, from which they can transmit the Unilever discount offers to an Internet-enabled cellphone. At checkout, the cashier scans the bar code on the phone's screen, redeeming the coupon and deleting it from the phone. The test will run for four weeks, and Mr. Shaw says he hopes to see it extended to other stores after that. Click here to read the entire article
To get the coupons, customers must visit the Web site Samplesaint.com, from which they can transmit the Unilever discount offers to an Internet-enabled cellphone. At checkout, the cashier scans the bar code on the phone's screen, redeeming the coupon and deleting it from the phone. The test will run for four weeks, and Mr. Shaw says he hopes to see it extended to other stores after that. Click here to read the entire article
Do you think the mobile coupon is a good idea for consumers. What is the opportunity cost of finding coupons on newspaper and online versus having them sent to you?
How much will old technology hold them back because the coupon may not scan correctly?
Will this increase the redeem rate, and how could it have mutual benefits for both consumers and retail business.
5 comments:
I think this is a great idea. Newspapers are becoming a thing of the past for some and so advertising needs to keep up with those trend setting consumers. Also, who says they can't do both? It didn't seem like they got the coupons sent to them regularly I got from it that they had to go to the site and download the coupons they specifically wanted which makes them search and then gives brand recognition. Although technology may fail sometimes, it is the consumers choice to take that route instead of using the mailed coupons. I don't think it will increase the redeem rate until the idea and concept really gets publicized and popular which will take time. For now, they should promote it and use both the technology and old fashioned mailing approach. If not taking energy into consideration, just paper wise its eco-friendly!
Kristen 4
This could be a great idea. A lot of people are in the going green stage and they don't want all of that paper wasted. Almost everyone has a cell phone and this will be with them instead of having to cut all the coupons out.
Old tech. could hold them back because people will be mad if their coupon doesn't work.
I think it won't increase the rate, bcz although a lot of people are trying to save money, they're also lazy. Cell phones aren't that fast and the coupons might take awhile to load.
Meghan T. 4
I think this is a good unique idea. The coupons are sent directly to the phone which makes it alot easier for consumers to get coupons. They don't have to search through newspapers to find them. Though this is a cool idea, newspapers are still popular. As technology grows I think this new idea will become more and more popular. I don't think it will increase the redeem rate yet because it is very new.
I think this is a good unique idea. The coupons are sent directly to the phone which makes it alot easier for consumers to get coupons. They don't have to search through newspapers to find them. Though this is a cool idea, newspapers are still popular. As technology grows I think this new idea will become more and more popular. I don't think it will increase the redeem rate yet because it is very new.
Max B P4
I think it's a fairly good idea because people will not have to go searching for coupons in the paper or magazines. The coupon will be right there for them to use, but problems will definitely arise because it is over a smart phone and I'm sure there will be problems with scanning and companies accepting them. The opportunity cost is there, but I think it will take awhile to catch on. If they work, they'll be a big success because no one like carrying around an envelope filled with coupons and digging through them to find your item. Instead it'll all be on your phone, if you even have a phone capable of this.
Justin L
4
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