Mark Price

Retail Customer Experience: Why Mobile Coupons Are Not the Answer

August 12, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
What people really want, but don't know how to ask for, are ways to save money that are relevant to them. They know about coupons, so they think in those terms. Do you agree that mobile coupons are not the answer? If so, what do you think is the answer?      [more...]

Ultimately, mobile devices provide a way of communication with selected customers at the point of purchase, in real time with personalization. That communication may be in the form of discounts to incent trial or to provide value for volume purchases, or may be in the form of any other value-added communication (in the perception of that customer).

Coupons are not a "bad" tactic at all; rather, they are used similar to "when all you have is a hammer, the world looks full of nails." The right blend of incentives, services and value-added communication, personalized to customer behavior and stated preferences, will drive loyalty, retention and increased share of wallet--the holy grail of marketing.

Mobile devices just make such a strategy more immediate and potentially more effective.