Push A Deal Takes Group Coupons On the Go
The group deal boom may be in decline, but it’s undeniable that they still have a powerful effect on shoppers. Mobile Fringe has launched a new application that allows those deals to be targeted at customers that are currently in your shopping centers, letting them know when they walk in the door that they’re in a place where they can find amazing offers.
The free app is called Push a Deal, and it allows shoppers to opt-in to get alerted by their smartphones when there are deals in their vicinity. Not only does this add to the impulsive nature of group deals, but it should also get shoppers into stores.
The app uses geo-fencing technology. Using the phone’s GPS, the app is triggered when shoppers are near a location with a deal to offer. It launched at University of Toronto through a partnership with ARAMARK Canada, a company that provides food service to the university. Students who download the app will be offered ways to save on food and drink across campus, including free Starbucks coffee and free food from New College for the first promotional push.
“Despite the success of the group buying model and deal-of-the-day websites, today’s young consumers are on their phones, not their computers,” said Steve Sorge, CEO of Mobile Fringe. “Push a Deal is an acknowledgment of that shift and is the first service dedicated to delivering deals based on where a person is standing. When you are close to the deal, you will get an alert.”
It seems like the geo-fencing technology could make Push a Deal the first group deal concept that’s really ideal for shopping centres.
