Does anyone really use coupons?

Not in my own little planet, but apparently there is a whole universe of people out there who do. I mean, yes, I’ve occasionally used coupons or codes when buying online but because I have come across with them, not because I spend time searching for them. But seriously, am I out of the loop? Have I been missing out on something great? Somehow I bumped into an article speaking about “m-coupons”, i.e. mobile coupons. They are sent to your cellphone via text messages (with your authorization). So, basically you opt-in to what kind of vendors you want to receive coupons from. The coupon is often a number code that can be redeemed at the point of purchase or on online buys too.

The vendor benefits because delivery and redemption costs are reduced in comparison with the traditional ways (paper coupons). Also, receiving the coupons directly on your phone will trigger impulse buys and you can forward the coupons to your friends’ mobile phones triggering more sales. M-coupons are redeemed at higher rates than paper or e-coupons because they are not forgotten at home; you have them with you on your phone.

NetInformer, a wireless media and mobile marketing firm, claims that with their m-coupon services they can:

• Send offers to customers in real-time that are location based
• Track results by customer, the exact time and purchase location
• Offer rewards based on redemption and referrals

This again, raises a huge privacy issue in my head. How are advertisers and vendors able to ‘track’ our steps? It’s kind of creepy that any given vendor can know exactly where you’re located and that they can send you ‘the coupon of the day’. The fact that they can track your actual steps is scary. How secure is this redemption technology? I think it is still in a rather early stage but it’s a major consideration to make when opting-in.


Those willing to give it a try have been most interested in:

Call me paranoid, but beyond privacy issues I think this mobile coupon redemption technology will raise personal security issues too. There will always be a technology savvy wacko out there. At least online you have firewalls, pop-up blockers, filters, antivirus software, and so on. We are more aware of ways on how to protect ourselves from hackers infiltrating our systems, from phishing, etc. But walking on the street it is our personal integrity that could be at stake and our cellphones could become a ‘personal tracking device’. The deal of the day m-coupon might not be such a good idea after all; at least not for me.