The Next Direction of Online Discounts
The past few years have seen the beginnings of a new trend on the internet. Websites created purely to offer discounts are gaining in popularity, with some going nationwide or even global. In the current economic climate it makes perfect sense that people are trying to conserve their funds and save money, so it’s no surprise that companies are making money of their own by tapping into this need.
When we talk about discount sites, what we’re referring to is the selection of websites that are offering vouchers in a variety of formats to be used on the high street. Some of the sites will email you the discount codes, allowing you to print out the email. Alternatively, some sites allow you to print the discount directly from the website. You could perhaps show the cashier the website or email on your mobile device, phone for example, when it comes to making your purchase.
Some sites require you to register and some don’t. For many of the sites that do, the way to make money is by gathering information about the public, such as email addresses, to be used for market research purposes. Usually the site takes a small cut of the profits the retailer gains from the sale when the discount is cashed in. There are incentives for customers, retailers and the websites, and plenty of reasons to offer or search out discount sites.
But discount sites, regardless of their current popularity, might be about to be surpassed. With the advent of the mobile internet and smartphones, it makes perfect sense that this is the next medium for advertisers to target when it comes to offering discounts and deals to customers. The current crop of discount vendors are making use of the public’s love of their mobile devices to an extent, but more often than not, it is the public who are the instigators of this. Proximity marketing could be the future.
Proximity marketing involves the sending of advertisements and discount codes to potential customers once they walk into range of a transmitter, most of which currently operate using WiFi or Bluetooth. By sending the voucher to the customer’s mobile while they are already out shopping, the chances of an eventual purchase being made are much greater. Advertisers using proximity marketing generally choose venues with a large footfall to house their transmitters, meaning that customers no longer have to search out discount sites in order to find a great deal. The next direction of discounts is to come straight to the customer.
Discount sites are gaining popularity, but it is now also possible to get discount vouchers straight to your mobile device. JungleDrum is a platform that allows advertisers to reach more customers than traditional discount sites, by going mobile.
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