Supermarkets Use Mobile Coupons
By Anna Johnson on June 3rd, 2009Can we get rid of all those paper or plastic based gift vouchers, gift cards, loyalty cards, already? I really don’t need any more of these cards bulging up my wallet…
Well, it doesn’t look likely just yet. But at least two U.S. grocery chains are headed somewhat in that direction with the introduction of their mobile coupon services.
Safeway owned Tom Thumb and Randall’s are working with packaged-goods manufacturers General Mills, Unilever and Kimberly-Clark to offer shoppers 21 coupons for goods such as pre-packaged tossed salad and kids’ cereal.
Now, the good old plastic loyalty card is still an intrinsic part of the deal: a customer with a loyalty card chooses their desired digital coupons on the relevant store’s website via PC or mobile device, these coupons are then registered on the customer’s loyalty account, and then the coupons are automatically redeemed when the cashier swipes the customer’s loyalty card.
But are we getting closer to the day when we can do away with the card? I mean, can’t the customer’s mobile device communicate with the cashier’s terminal to let the store know what discount applies? It’ll happen folks…
In the meantime, and despite my own antipathy towards too many loyalty cards (and, of course, I still use them), this initiative is still another promising example of integrated off-line / online / mobile marketing.
Source: Erik Sass, “Super-Marketing: Safeway Chains Offer Mobile Coupons,” MediaDailyNews, May 27, 2009
