Target last month said it was the first major retailer to let shoppers nationwide access gift card accounts from smartphones, and have the barcode scanned at checkout. On Wednesday
the company said it had another first among retail chains: offering scannable mobile coupons directly to customers that they can redeem via barcode at checkout.
People can opt-in to the program
through Target.com on the PC or on phones at m.target.com or by texting COUPONS to 827438 (TARGET). After opting in, customers get a text message with a link to a mobile Web page with a variety of
special offers.
Target may be the first big box store to go national with mobile coupons but other retailers and marketers are also embracing the technology as coupons in general enjoy a
recession-fueled resurgence and consumers increasingly use their mobile phones for m-commerce. JCPenney, for example, last fall began testing scannable coupons at stores in the Houston area and Yahoo
has partnered with Coupons Inc. to allow brand advertisers to distribute coupons via Yahoo Mobile.
Other companies from The Wall Street Journal to Sprint have included promotional barcodes in
ads. But marketers shouldn't get caught up in the recent hype surrounding mobile coupons or 2D barcodes. They don't have to follow on the heels of the mobile "firsts" announced by the likes of Target.
In a forthcoming report, Forrester Research points out that only a few percent of consumers so far are participating in mobile promotions. Because the market is still inchoate, analyst Julie Ask
says other companies shouldn't necessarily feel extra pressure to keep pace with Target. But she advises marketers to start laying the groundwork with pilot programs and testing toward the longer-term
goal of engaging customers with mobile coupons. Get it right before you go big.