Introduction
Juniper Research defines a mobile coupon as “a coupon sent to and stored on a mobile phone that can be exchanged for a rebate, a financial discount etc. at a retailer or merchant when the
consumer purchases a product.” We have found that the term “voucher” is also used to mean a coupon, although we define a voucher as a coupon given as a gift.
Mobile coupons are becoming increasingly important to brand owners and retailers providing a “push to purchase” capability for mobile marketing and advertising campaigns. They are often used in conjunction with a mobile ticket, bundled in a mobile barcode alongside the ticket, allowing for offers and discounts to be available in addition to the ticketing functionality.
Mobile coupons are an evolution in the history of electronic coupons with the Internet enabling the ability for the large-scale digital distribution of coupons. With eCoupons, the coupons are distributed cheaply via different electronic channels, including e-mail and clickable banner-ads. This capability has given rise to the growth of specialised websites that offer web-enabled store fronts for coupon advertising and distribution. Examples of these sites in the USA include CouponPages.com, Valpak.com, Redplum.com and Dealcatcher.com.
This white paper focuses on the technology used in mobile coupons, and provides a summary of the global market opportunity.
