Mobile Couponing Trends

In the end it may look like a raw deal. Groupon, a pioneer that once stood alone at the forefront of mobile couponing, may ultimately be remembered as the firm that merely motivated others toward success in the mobile couponing space. The latest to be inspired is Wrapp, a Swedish startup that calls itself the anti-Groupon. Chicago-based Groupon has left the door wide open to more agile competitors. Accusations of poor business practices, as well as accounting irregularities, have dogged the once mighty Groupon. Worse still, manymerchants  loathe the coupon giant for attracting frugal shoppers who redeem a deal and never return.^[1] In a tell tale sign of hard times, the company  removed Starbucks Corp Chief Executive Howard Schultz and venture Read More »

Dear  Groupon and Living Social,  there’s a new mobile couponing venture in town. Constant Cont act has launched SaveLocal, a service that allows businesses to take greater control over the deals they offer to their consumers. SaveLocal also boasts a more affordable price structure for merchants.^[1]

Serendipitous Beginnings

Constanst Contact’s foray into mobile coupons comes after their acquisition of Mob Manager, a site that assists small businesses in keeping track of-- and following up on--deals. ^[2] Ironically, Mob Manager was started as a way to keep track of the daily deals being offered through Groupon by founder Dave Wachtendonk’s other venture, Murder Mystery Maniacs, a Chicago-based murder mystery party planning business.^[3]

Dissatisfied with Groupon’s tracking and follow-up efforts, Watchendonk and his Read More »

Ever wondered how your smartphone could help you discover happiness? Hapify, a new iPhone app, could help you find it. It's designed to help users share and reflect on their own happiness. First, you build a personal profile that records what makes you happy, and then you can share what makes you happy with other users.^[1]

Here's how the app works:

1. Download the app, free of charge.

2. Choose an option when the app opens:

 - "I'm Happy", which allows you to upload a photo, description or location that makes you happy. Once you've entered it, your input becomes part of a "happiness Read More »

When most people think of coupons, they think of savings. However, few people realize that coupons weren’t invented to save people money; that was merely a by-product. Coupons were invented to drive consumer traffic into stores, and subsequently to specific products. History is repeating itself as mobile coupons become more and more popular with consumers, especially around the holidays.^[1]

Today, instead of clipping coupons from the Sunday paper, consumers can obtain their savings via their mobile device. More importantly, mobile coupons can be targeted.  Not only can coupons entice customers to purchase items or services of interest, but also deliver the coupon while the customer is near the merchant or restaurant. This is done via sites such as FourSquare, GoWalla, and Yelp. Consumers who Read More »

Shopkick, a mobile coupon application with over 2.5 million users, recently linked up with Visa to tie their retail reward system with Visa's payment processing network. Since its inception, Shopkick has been highly successful at pushing foot traffic to retail stores. Before the integration, the application awarded users with "kick points" for checking into stores. Shoppers could then redeem these points for special deals. But that's where the buck stopped; the application drove customers in the door, yet didn't reliably turn visitors into purchasers. The new partnership with Visa allows Shopkick to convert users by letting them link their Visa cards with the application. As noted by Ryan Kim of Gigaom.com, "… with a new partnership with Visa, it is realizing its full potential by Read More »