6. Mobile coupons

 

What ? 

 
This is one of the main and effective tools in mobile marketing 
Allows you to send to your customers or prospects electronic coupons, directly to their mobile device via email, SMS, Twitter etc. 
Electronic coupons have a much higher redemption rate than paper coupons 
Your customers store your coupons in their devices, so they never forget or leave them at home. This increases the redemption rate
 
Unlike paper coupons, electronic coupons/vouchers are traceable on- line and in real time throughout their life cycle, from issue to redemption
Coupons issued direct to a particular customer or contact can be monitored to see if, when and where a coupon is redeemed 
Combined with any additional customer information held, this data can be analysed to determine the uptake of the promotion by different customer categories, and to optimise the promotional offering and customer loyalty
 
 
 
 

The life cycle of the electronic coupon 

 
Usually, electronic coupons are identified by an identity unique code, in the form of a 1D barcode like code128, ean13, ean8, etc ... or a 2D barcode like QR or PDF417 
• To read those codes your scanner will have to be compatible with them, or you will need to use some of the mobile apps that allow barcodes to be read


Mobile Coupons - Passbook

 
There is currently no official standard for electronic coupons 
But there is a de facto standard: Passbook electronic pass format
  •  Created by Apple and available from iOS 6.0
  •  Allows different types of passes, like boarding cards, coupons, event tickets, etc...
  •  Basically the provider of the pass sends to the beneficiary a special file with all the information for the pass
  •  The file is electronically signed for security purposes
  •  Passbook is one of the 5 most used apps in the US


For Android users there is an app compatible with Passbook files: Passwallet

  •  Passwallet has all the functionalities of the Apple Passbook and some more, for example Passwallet allows the use of NFC too https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.attidomobile.passwallet


Beevou 

Using services like beevou.com allows you to send and manage electronic coupons for free, without any up- front investment and in a matter of minutes With Beevou you can 
  • Send coupons over email or SMS 
  • Create your own list of beneficiaries (customers, prospects or any other) 
  • Allow your customers to transfer the coupon  Control the status of the coupon in real time (traceable) 
  • Redeem coupons using the beevou scanner app, the scanner embedded in the beevou website or your own scanner using the beevou API
  • Beevou is fully compatible with Passbook and Passwallet with geolocation and has a powerful programmable RESTFULL API to embed all the functions in your own apps

Beevou Beevou.com is a platform that allows you to use different type of coupons:
 
  • One use only coupons
    This is the traditional coupon, after the coupon is redeemed it becomes unusable 
  • Discount coupons, deals, gift coupons, events, etc... 
  • Cumulative coupons (those for stamps) 
    Specially suitable for up-selling strategies - the customer accumulates a predefined number of reads until the final redemption.
    Wash your car nine times and the number ten is for free.
  • Multiple use coupons 
    Allows you to sell a package of goods or services
    Four Car Wash for the price of three.
With beevou you can create your own network of affiliates
  • Sometimes is useful to get a win2win agreement with some other businesses in your area to share your customer base and/or give your customers special deals for other businesses
  • With beevou you can define where a coupon can be redeemed. All you have to do is to invite the affiliate to your network and then configure your coupon template to be accepted in that affiliate
  • Consider for example a “clean your car for free” in the nearest gas station when somebody buys you goods or services for more than 30$
  • All payments between your affiliates and you are managed by the beevou platform too
     

Local Belgian offering: myShopi

 

The problem with barcode scanners

  • Most of the laser barcode scanners are not compatible with barcodes stored in mobile devices 
  • This is mostly due to the interaction of the laser light with the reflection of the screen
  • The CCD barcode scanners are usually compatible with mobile devices but can only read 1D barcodes like EAN, code39, code128, etc..., but not 2D barcodes like QR
  • The best barcode readers for mobile are CMOS based (camera). These devices are becoming cheaper as they increasingly become standard
 
Now most of the manufacturers of barcode scanners are creating models to scan barcodes from mobile devices
  • Prices starts from about 90$
  • Based on CMOS camera, or Laser
  • Potentially any webcam can decode barcodes in mobile and desktop devices (see beevou´s web scan) Some platform providers like beevou.com have their own scan solutions for free (beevou scan app)