Verizon Unveils Digital Coupon Service
Telecom provider Verizon is offering a free digital supermarket coupon service for its wireless and FiOS TV customers. Customers can obtain Verizon SpendSmart digital coupons via wireless phone, TV or computer.
Partnering with online mobile coupon network Cellfire, Verizon is offering digital coupons across a wide range of products that can be used at more than 4,000 locations of more than 20 grocery chains nationwide, including ShopRite, Safeway and Kroger. Coupon brands and products rotate every two weeks, with more than $25 in monthly grocery discounts available at any given time.
To register, customers need to provide shopper or loyalty club membership information from a participating retailer, and then can receive access to digital coupons accepted by that retailer. Customer SpendSmart data is automatically synced across wireless, TV and PC channels, allowing them to view and use coupons on each platform. Wireless users may incur data or megabyte fees.
Supermarket Retailers Discover Online Coupons
Verizon is tapping into a vertical trend as increasingly, supermarket retailers are turning to online coupons as a means of enticing customers to visit their stores. The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P) is partnering with internet coupon provider Coupons.com to offer online coupon galleries on several of its banner websites. A&P’s e-commerce sites now feature coupon galleries with hundreds of dollars worth of coupons across all product categories. Customers can enter their ZIP code to obtain coupons specific to their area and print desired coupons with one click.
HyVee, Inc. is expanding the multichannel online service capabilities available on its web site. Customers are now able to shop the inventory of local stores, create shopping lists and locate coupons, among other online options.
HyVee is partnering with content/software provider Grocery Shopping Network to bring its e-commerce site and brick-and-mortar stores closer together. As mentioned above, customers can use the HyVee e-commerce site to find items at local stores and place them on a printable shopping list with store coupons before leaving home. Customers can also add items from a clickable store circular, link to manufacturer coupons, find recipes on a 64,000-recipe database, and obtain information about unadvertised in-store specials. In addition, Hy-Vee plans to add educational online cooking videos.
Other retailers in the supermarket vertical are also providing customers with multichannel service offerings. Safeway supermarket banners including Tom Thumb and Randalls also participate in the Cellfire mobile coupon network, allowing members of the two chains’ loyalty club programs to automatically download coupons on their loyalty cards.