I love reading and spending time in bookstores. But I often purchase from Amazon because I get better discounts. I usually order at least $25 worth of products at a time for free shipping.
Sometimes Amazon doesn't offer discounts, such as on paperbacks costing less than $10. But I get SMS (short message service) coupons from Borders -- often for 20 percent or 25 percent off any item.
As a result, I shop there -- when I normally wouldn't. Even paying tax, I save some money.
I'm often near a Borders. I always have a phone with me that always has the SMS messages.
Email coupons are okay -- if I don't have to print them! Having to print the coupon, cut it from the paper, and remember to stick it in my wallet greatly reduces the chance I'll have it.
I want more merchants offering -- and making their customers aware of -- electronic coupons. I want to see point-of-sale displays that advertise SMS coupons.
Also, merchants need to educate salespeople so they aren’t dumbfounded when a shopper uses the coupons.
I read about that parking meter system in San Francisco. If it works reliably (never a slam-dunk when it comes to multiple aspects of technology), perhaps it will be copied by other cities.
SMS coupons -- and logging onto Web sites from your phone to search for sales --are, to use a cliche, a win-win situation for merchants and consumers.
SMS seems especially useful because you don't have to do anything. The coupon comes to you.
No one likes advertising...except the advertising that's useful for him and her!
I heard on the news this past week about an interesting development in San Francisco. It seems that they have developed a solution to their parking problems using the internet and cell phone technology. When a parking space becomes available, people can receice a text message about it & reserve it right from their telephone. Savvy businesses in the area would be wise to find a way to advertise through these same people with perhaps a coupon for a discount on coffee or a lunch coupon to entice those people parking to stop in where they normally wouldn't. It's nice to read about your success in using Borders coupons to save some money. I agree that this technology would be wise to use on a broader scale than it is used now. I think it represents a great opportunity for innovators & evolotionists in the industry.
i didnt even know their was such a thing until today....i will now be spending some serous time online looking for coupons to sign up for! im the coupon QUEEN and this would make my life sooo much easier!
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previous posts from Alan Reiter's Wireless Web World
For more than a year I've been writing about my interest in Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) enhancing its "Street View" maps with photos or even videos showing what's inside buildings and homes. There's a good chance I might get my wish!
It's becoming increasingly difficult to save on airtime charges when using cellular phones for data. Cellular operators are forcing users to purchase data plans whether they want to or not.
Augmented reality (AR) is hot, and more companies are developing applications for it. But until now I haven’t heard of any creating their own AR chipset, software, and... cellular phone!
Smarter Collaboration: How to Thrive in a Challenging Business Environment Market conditions are changing faster than ever, and organizations need to improve their agility and adaptability in order to provide better service and improve processes. The ability to work with customers, business partners, and employees as effectively as possible - while at the same time holding down costs - is a key to success. READ THIS eBOOK
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Telcos are falling over themselves to launch app stores – but are the app developers listening? Most telcos will need to do a lot more to engage their attention.
Tom wants a Google 'unlocked handset' for the holidays because he thinks they could just break the telco monopoly on handset distribution and thus empower the Internet as the driver of mobile broadband now and forever.
Techies are going crazy over the possibility that Google might design and sell its own Android phone. Some writers say it's a very big deal. Reiter questions whether it will happen and, if it does, whether it even matters.
Ever since the iPhone debuted, cellular manufacturers are rushing to incorporate touch screens into their phones. Alas, cellphone touch screens have significant problems that can actually harm business productivity. And doing business isn’t about getting the high score on Super Monkey Ball!
With the number of mobile broadband users more than doubling in 2009, and soon to exceed fixed broadband, the Internet saw a historic transition this year – and the long-term effects are incalculable.
Companies used to be confident they'd know exactly what a cellular OS would look like out of the box. Today, that confidence should be fading. Reiter discusses how a cellphone OS's looks could be deceiving, and why businesses need to understand it.
Cellular operators, netbook manufacturers, and, of course, techies, have been eagerly awaiting a hands-on experience with Nokia's new netbook, the Booklet 3G. Reiter's got his hands on one, and tells you whether it's worth the wait.
Research shows that the youth of today like Facebook – but not blogging or Twitter. Does that mean Facebook has won, or just that it's not yet out of favor? Will all the services we see today fade into Ovaltine-or-Wheaties status in just a few years?
What kinds of companies are doing the most innovation in the data center? Turns out it's midtier enterprises that are taking the "Just Right" approach.
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