Comments on: Google Coupons – But Where’s the Mobile Element? http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/08/15/google-coupons-but-wheres-the-mobile-element/ Russell Buckley and Carlo Longino on mobile technology. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:56:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Jan Kuczynski http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/08/15/google-coupons-but-wheres-the-mobile-element/comment-page-1/#comment-25500 Jan Kuczynski Wed, 23 Aug 2006 13:49:16 +0000 http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/08/15/google-coupons-but-wheres-the-mobile-element/#comment-25500 I was just looking at some primary research by a Japanese company called Infoplant on coupons. Mobile coupons are now apparently the third source of coupons amongst Japanese consumers, below leaflets and free newspapers but above retailers, magazines and internet. In Japan, mobile coupons are redeemed via 2d barcodes, NFC IC chips, infrared or, more simply, through promotional codes. I was just looking at some primary research by a Japanese company called Infoplant on coupons. Mobile coupons are now apparently the third source of coupons amongst Japanese consumers, below leaflets and free newspapers but above retailers, magazines and internet. In Japan, mobile coupons are redeemed via 2d barcodes, NFC IC chips, infrared or, more simply, through promotional codes.

]]> By: Ron Wilson http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/08/15/google-coupons-but-wheres-the-mobile-element/comment-page-1/#comment-24791 Ron Wilson Thu, 17 Aug 2006 13:10:37 +0000 http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/08/15/google-coupons-but-wheres-the-mobile-element/#comment-24791 Google programs typically are a little rough around the edges at first, but once they have 6 months or so of additional development, they are usually pretty good. A good example of this is Sitemaps. Google programs typically are a little rough around the edges at first, but once they have 6 months or so of additional development, they are usually pretty good. A good example of this is Sitemaps.

]]> By: Ajay http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/08/15/google-coupons-but-wheres-the-mobile-element/comment-page-1/#comment-24601 Ajay Wed, 16 Aug 2006 17:01:54 +0000 http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/08/15/google-coupons-but-wheres-the-mobile-element/#comment-24601 One more pt regarding that bar code reader. Super stores already have sp. cards for discounts such as Albertson card or safeway card which gives me additional discounts on particular items and scanned only once. Feature like this will incorporate that card into phone that's it. Once that starts to happen then we can say that bar codes are successful in stores and then send bar coded coupons on mobile phones. Until that day, It will be very hard. Mike, I am trying to put what zixxo is doing in one sentence. Coupons Inc for local merchants. Let me know if this correct. One more pt regarding that bar code reader. Super stores already have sp. cards for discounts such as Albertson card or safeway card which gives me additional discounts on particular items and scanned only once. Feature like this will incorporate that card into phone that’s it. Once that starts to happen then we can say that bar codes are successful in stores and then send bar coded coupons on mobile phones. Until that day, It will be very hard.

Mike,

I am trying to put what zixxo is doing in one sentence. Coupons Inc for local merchants. Let me know if this correct.

]]> By: More on Mobile Fulfillment at MobHappy http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/08/15/google-coupons-but-wheres-the-mobile-element/comment-page-1/#comment-24588 More on Mobile Fulfillment at MobHappy Wed, 16 Aug 2006 15:50:20 +0000 http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/08/15/google-coupons-but-wheres-the-mobile-element/#comment-24588 [...] « Google Coupons - But Where’s the Mobile Element? [...] [...] « Google Coupons – But Where’s the Mobile Element? [...]

]]> By: Russell Buckley http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/08/15/google-coupons-but-wheres-the-mobile-element/comment-page-1/#comment-24516 Russell Buckley Wed, 16 Aug 2006 02:49:52 +0000 http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/08/15/google-coupons-but-wheres-the-mobile-element/#comment-24516 Marc - 30 minutes training per cashier sounds imminently reasonable, until you start thinking about scaling this. Sainsbury's in the UK, for example, has about 750 stores. Each would have, at a wild guess, around 100 cashiers, taking into account shifts, part timers and temps. That's 37,500 person hours of training. Now, you wouldn't have to do this one-on-one obviously. But if you were to do it in 4 shifts per store, which seems a reasonable guess, that's 1,500 hours of training. Let's say you had one person doing one store a day, to do this in a 10 day period, you need a team of 150 trainers. No trivial task, and that's just one store. Also, in my experience, "nearly 100%" doesn't hack it with bar code redemption. I've known supermarkets to send back whole lines of products which have problems with bar code reading. An Ops Director's whole life is dedicated to processing customers quickly and anything that compromises this will be an issue. That doesn't mean it's not going to happen and companies like yours are poised to cash in when the tech is ready and more importantly, when stores are ready. Russell Marc – 30 minutes training per cashier sounds imminently reasonable, until you start thinking about scaling this. Sainsbury’s in the UK, for example, has about 750 stores. Each would have, at a wild guess, around 100 cashiers, taking into account shifts, part timers and temps. That’s 37,500 person hours of training.

Now, you wouldn’t have to do this one-on-one obviously. But if you were to do it in 4 shifts per store, which seems a reasonable guess, that’s 1,500 hours of training. Let’s say you had one person doing one store a day, to do this in a 10 day period, you need a team of 150 trainers. No trivial task, and that’s just one store.

Also, in my experience, “nearly 100%” doesn’t hack it with bar code redemption. I’ve known supermarkets to send back whole lines of products which have problems with bar code reading. An Ops Director’s whole life is dedicated to processing customers quickly and anything that compromises this will be an issue.

That doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen and companies like yours are poised to cash in when the tech is ready and more importantly, when stores are ready.

Russell

]]> By: Mike Hogan http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/08/15/google-coupons-but-wheres-the-mobile-element/comment-page-1/#comment-24504 Mike Hogan Wed, 16 Aug 2006 00:49:29 +0000 http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/08/15/google-coupons-but-wheres-the-mobile-element/#comment-24504 Mobile coupons are coming...because we're delivering them. Google provides a very simple solution for putting coupons on Google's maps. ZiXXo provides a simple, yet powerful, solution for syndicating coupons everywhere on the Internet. In fact, ZiXXo provides an API for adding coupons to things like yellow pages listings, maps, local search results, everything. It is nice to have a giant like Google validate the market for online coupons. Mobile coupons are coming…because we’re delivering them. Google provides a very simple solution for putting coupons on Google’s maps. ZiXXo provides a simple, yet powerful, solution for syndicating coupons everywhere on the Internet. In fact, ZiXXo provides an API for adding coupons to things like yellow pages listings, maps, local search results, everything. It is nice to have a giant like Google validate the market for online coupons.

]]> By: Marc http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/08/15/google-coupons-but-wheres-the-mobile-element/comment-page-1/#comment-24478 Marc Tue, 15 Aug 2006 20:11:14 +0000 http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/08/15/google-coupons-but-wheres-the-mobile-element/#comment-24478 Google does very well by making most of its revenue from SMEs. I imagine that mobile coupons will be adopted first by industry leaders that can afford the R&D investment. Also, in my experience, the bigger advertisers see mobile as a 'direct response' tool. They are interested in delivering coupons directly from tv commercials (see our partnership with ITV) or to opted in databases (see our Sainsbury's mobile club case study). Google would never let Coke, McDonalds or Heinz branding bleed onto their clean, white pages. Yahoo! and Microsoft would though. (I admit that Maps is a bit different though) Would you mind me clearing up one point that you made in your article? You said that that mobiles are difficult to scan reliably and that it takes a long time for customers to find their barcodes. The program that we run in Sainsbury's has shown reliable scan rates. With the right combination of training (30 mins per cashier) and fairly standard barcode readers (starting at £60 each) we get scan rates of nearly 100%. Also, because our members only need one barcode scanned regardless of how many deals they are claiming, our system is much, much faster than redeeming paper coupons. We are only measuring differences in convenience stores at the moment, time savings will be even better in mainstream supermarkets. All the best, marc Google does very well by making most of its revenue from SMEs. I imagine that mobile coupons will be adopted first by industry leaders that can afford the R&D investment.

Also, in my experience, the bigger advertisers see mobile as a ‘direct response’ tool. They are interested in delivering coupons directly from tv commercials (see our partnership with ITV) or to opted in databases (see our Sainsbury’s mobile club case study).

Google would never let Coke, McDonalds or Heinz branding bleed onto their clean, white pages. Yahoo! and Microsoft would though. (I admit that Maps is a bit different though)

Would you mind me clearing up one point that you made in your article? You said that that mobiles are difficult to scan reliably and that it takes a long time for customers to find their barcodes.

The program that we run in Sainsbury’s has shown reliable scan rates. With the right combination of training (30 mins per cashier) and fairly standard barcode readers (starting at ¬£60 each) we get scan rates of nearly 100%.

Also, because our members only need one barcode scanned regardless of how many deals they are claiming, our system is much, much faster than redeeming paper coupons. We are only measuring differences in convenience stores at the moment, time savings will be even better in mainstream supermarkets.

All the best,
marc

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