Tuesday, September 1, 2009

For some, the old days of clipping coupons are slowly closing down. An article this week in the New York Times talked about how the coupon business is moving to cell phones.

We’ve already seen this in the Wichita area. A company called Cellfire lets you sign up on their website and download coupons to your cell phone or to your Dillon’s Plus Card.

According to the New York Times, nearly 10 million digital coupons were redeemed in the first half of this year, a 25% increase over last year.

While older shoppers may still carry around crumpled coupons, there is a new crop of shoppers. Thirty percent of those who sign up for Cellfire say they have never used paper coupons.

Feature-rich mobile phones seem to be the key to easier coupon redemption. The iPhone seems to have the bulk of the applications designed just for it.

With the advent of Twitter and Facebook, business are experimenting with hyperlocal advertising. For example, a local donut shop may post a Twitter update that they’re selling donuts for a nickel between 10 and 11 a.m. Nearby followers can take advantage of the announcement.

The old scissors-and-paper habit of clipping coupons is going the way of the typewriter.

Send your cost-cutting tips to larry.hatteberg@kake.com