Comments on: The Holding Pattern Coupon Strategy http://storefrontbacktalk.com/securityfraud/the-holding-pattern-coupon-strategy/ Techniques, Tools and Tirades about Retail Technology and E-Commerce Sun, 20 May 2012 01:49:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Kate Janson http://storefrontbacktalk.com/securityfraud/the-holding-pattern-coupon-strategy/comment-page-1/#comment-62561 Kate Janson Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:55:13 +0000 http://www.storefrontbacktalk.com/?p=3256#comment-62561 The only way this can evolve is for banks/credit cards to issue the coupons at POS via opt-in web-based CRMs. Card swipe at checkout, discounts applied to consumer, bank/credit card companies reimburse retailer (better yet, offset transaction fees), manufacturers partner with retailers and bank/credit cards and reimburse discount with marketing promotion budgets. When will retail learn that in this new tech society, less is more? The only way this can evolve is for banks/credit cards to issue the coupons at POS via opt-in web-based CRMs. Card swipe at checkout, discounts applied to consumer, bank/credit card companies reimburse retailer (better yet, offset transaction fees), manufacturers partner with retailers and bank/credit cards and reimburse discount with marketing promotion budgets. When will retail learn that in this new tech society, less is more?

]]> By: James Tenser http://storefrontbacktalk.com/securityfraud/the-holding-pattern-coupon-strategy/comment-page-1/#comment-62503 James Tenser Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:34:44 +0000 http://www.storefrontbacktalk.com/?p=3256#comment-62503 Paper coupons appeal to a very defined subset of shoppers - roughly 30% - who are generally inclined toward pre-planning behavior. This group is very demographically diverse, and includes folks who just clip paper coupons and others who join coupon clubs online. The rest of the population generally ignores pre-planning and therefore can't be bothered with coupons. Nevertheless, 300 billion paper coupons are issued annually in the U.S. About 1 - 2% of these are actually redeemed, so I think reports of their imminent demise are unjustified. Now, print-from-the Web coupons are certainly a concept with a very limited future. But this was true from the start. The future is certainly the personal mobile device, juiced up with an NFC-enabled coupon "wallet". But this is a short way off. I think the most promising transition technology might be NFC-enabled USB key fobs (available now) that let shoppers download and store security-coded Web coupons and instantly redeem with a tap at the POS. The NFC readers cost as little as $40 and are USB plug-and-play (that is, they look like a bar-code scanner to the POS terminal). The cool thing about this scenario is that the NFC coupon's convenience and speed might appeal to shoppers who until now have shunned pre-planning and coupon use. Oh - and did I mention this would completely bypass today's clumsy coupon redemption process, putting more pennies in the retailers' pockets? Paper coupons appeal to a very defined subset of shoppers – roughly 30% – who are generally inclined toward pre-planning behavior. This group is very demographically diverse, and includes folks who just clip paper coupons and others who join coupon clubs online.

The rest of the population generally ignores pre-planning and therefore can’t be bothered with coupons. Nevertheless, 300 billion paper coupons are issued annually in the U.S. About 1 – 2% of these are actually redeemed, so I think reports of their imminent demise are unjustified.

Now, print-from-the Web coupons are certainly a concept with a very limited future. But this was true from the start. The future is certainly the personal mobile device, juiced up with an NFC-enabled coupon “wallet”. But this is a short way off.

I think the most promising transition technology might be NFC-enabled USB key fobs (available now) that let shoppers download and store security-coded Web coupons and instantly redeem with a tap at the POS. The NFC readers cost as little as $40 and are USB plug-and-play (that is, they look like a bar-code scanner to the POS terminal).

The cool thing about this scenario is that the NFC coupon’s convenience and speed might appeal to shoppers who until now have shunned pre-planning and coupon use. Oh – and did I mention this would completely bypass today’s clumsy coupon redemption process, putting more pennies in the retailers’ pockets?

]]> By: Bill Bittner http://storefrontbacktalk.com/securityfraud/the-holding-pattern-coupon-strategy/comment-page-1/#comment-62491 Bill Bittner Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:32:22 +0000 http://www.storefrontbacktalk.com/?p=3256#comment-62491 Let's just hope the retailer is not using a stand-beside device for credit card authorization (just kidding) Let’s just hope the retailer is not using a stand-beside device for credit card authorization (just kidding)

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