Women Take Lead on Mobile Coupons
MAY 2010
More than two-thirds report an interest in discounts via mobile
The recession helped boost overall coupon usage, and research firms expect usage via mobile to increase dramatically in the coming years. So far, mobile coupon adoption has been somewhat slow, but a study from mobile campaign services provider miBuys shows women may be more eager than average to receive discounts on their phones.
Two-thirds of female mobile Internet users surveyed said they would be interested in getting coupons on their mobile device. When Honeywell surveyed US Internet users in December 2009, 71% said they would not participate in any mobile couponing activities, including receiving, storing or sharing coupons in the mobile channel.
By contrast, respondents to the miBuys survey, who were already visitors to mobile shopping and promotions channels, seemed eager for the convenience of mobile. Only one-third said they were already regular coupon users, though 46% more did use coupons sometimes.
“Mobile phones and devices can already play a significant role in connecting retail brands with their customers,” said Mark Bamber, CEO of miBuys, in a statement. “It is perceived that women are only just embracing mobile services, but the truth is they're already well beyond this point and now want access to the entire high street through their phone.”
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Yankee Group found that in 2009 more than 90% of US consumers were at least somewhat interested in scanning images or bar codes with their mobile phone to get more information or coupons for a product.
Getting coupons via SMS or MMS was nearly as popular, although only 7% of respondents had received mobile coupons in the past three months.
Yankee Group expects involvement with mobile coupons to increase dramatically over the coming years, however. The number of mobile coupons redeemed in North America is set to increase more than tenfold in 2010. Triple-digit increases will follow in 2011 and 2012.
The value of mobile coupon transactions will climb commensurately. Yankee Group forecasts nearly $2.37 billion in North American mobile coupon transactions in 2013, up from just $5 million this year.
Hurdles remain for mobile coupons, which require infrastructure at the point of sale to deal with SMS codes or bar codes readable from mobile devices, but Yankee Group expects these challenges to be confronted successfully in the next few years. And since mobile coupons have been available for some time already, the research firm doesn’t predict consumer education will be a limiting factor.
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Mobile coupon redemption is poised to explode over the next few years. But mobile couponing is still in the early stages of adoption, as indicated in a Honeywell survey conducted by Harris Interactive in December 2009.
Just 4% of Internet users surveyed said they had redeemed mobile coupons, compared with 86% who had clipped paper coupons and 65% who had used electronic coupons from the Internet or e-mail. Younger adults were most interested in mobile coupons, with 66% saying they were at least somewhat likely to try them.
Most Web users, however, were not yet ready to join the bandwagon. Only 10% felt comfortable storing coupons on their mobile phone rather than printing them out, and one-half that number wanted retailers to text them about deals and sales. Across the board, younger respondents and those with higher incomes had more positive attitudes toward mobile coupon use.
Among Internet users who would give retailers their mobile number to get coupons, 18% would like to check a Website for coupons they could send to their own phone. Fewer respondents were interested in retailers pushing coupons to their phone periodically.
Overall, 31% of mobile phone owners said they were willing to share their number with a retailer to receive coupons. Among 18- to 34-year-olds, the proportion rose to one-half.
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Shooger Launches Free Coupon App on Android Smartphones
Money-Saving Application Conveniently Connects Consumers to Deals in Their Neighborhood, Coupons Also Available via SMS Text Messages
June 2010 -- Sweetening the shopping experience for consumers across the U.S., Shooger, a mobile coupon platform, announced today that its free application is now available on Android® smartphones, helping consumers find deals and save money on everyday services and products. The app also gives merchants a new and inexpensive way to engage mobile customers and increase sales.
Launched on the iPhone® in September 2009, Shooger offers consumers local, national and online deals through a free app or via opt-in SMS text messages on any mobile phone. Sample coupons and exclusive offers include discounts at restaurants, retail locations, auto care shops and fitness centers.
Like the existing iPhone® version, the Android® Shooger app includes:
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- Location-based offers: Find deals by proximity, category and keyword
- Maps and click-to-call: Click on a coupon for maps, driving directions, the merchant’s website and a click-to-call option
- Coupon redemption: Show the merchant the Shooger coupon on your mobile device for the discount
- Clip and follow to save: Clip coupons to save them and follow favorite merchants to receive alerts when a new deal is available
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“With the Android platform, Shooger deals reach more consumers, helping them connect with money-saving offers from local businesses anywhere, anytime,” said Matt Myers, chief marketing officer, Shooger. “With universal availability on the iPhone, Android and SMS on any mobile phone, 100 percent of mobile users can access Shooger deals and offers.”
Today, Shooger offers users more than 100,000 local and national deals from 50,000 merchants searchable by category including Restaurants & Bars, Home Improvement, Travel, Automotive, Dentists & Doctors and Sports & Recreation.
Shooger provides businesses with a simple, performance-based mobile marketing option, allowing them to send instant offers directly to customers. Extending the reach of existing advertising, Shooger’s coupons and deals enhance ads across websites, email campaigns, newspapers, magazines, direct mail, Yellow Pages, billboards, radio and more.
Shooger is available for download at http://www.shooger.com.
About Shooger:
Shooger, a mobile coupon platform, offers consumers local and national deals via mobile devices, giving merchants a new way to engage customers, increase sales and monitor advertising performance in real-time. Users can access coupons through a free app on their smartphone or via opt-in SMS text messages across all mobile phones. Privately funded, Shooger is led by a team of interactive media entrepreneurs with a track record of success in innovative technology solutions. Shooger is available for download at www.shooger.com.
