According to a new Juniper Research’s study, coupons delivered and redeemed via mobile phones are forecast to be used by some 200 million mobile subscribers globally by 2013.
At the moment, mobile coupons market is most advanced in Japan and Korea, but USA and Europe are slowly catching up and mobile coupons have started appearing at all the main retail sectors including restaurants, entertainment, shopping and grocery. The developed nations of the Far East, North America and Western Europe are forecast to account for the major part of the market by 2013.
Report author Howard Wilcox argues that even though today the overwhelming majority of coupons are paper-based, the mobile phone is the ultimate individual marketing device and mobile coupon pilots have shown greatly increased redemption rates – often double digit percentages.
On the downside, though, Juniper identified some significant hurdles, including the lack of suitable point of sale (POS) infrastructure at the supermarket checkout allowing for the quick and easy redemption of coupons, which is critical to the consumer shopping experience. Technology is also a factor, with most mobile coupons today delivered by a (bar) code and SMS. In future, NFC will become popular in this application.
More information about Juniper Research’s study “Mobile Coupons: Strategies & Forecasts 2008-2013” is available from their website.