Shopitize’s brand-to-consumer cashback mobile couponing service goes live in the UK today, with Kellogg’s and United Biscuits as launch partners. A pilot group of over 2,000 shoppers in Britain will begin receiving deals from the two companies’ brands, as of today, and for the next six weeks.

Brands involved in the launch include McVities Jaffa Cakes, Kellogg’s Special K, Crunchy Nut and Coco Pops breakfast cereals, Pringles, and Special K Cereal Bars. Shoptize says the deals will offer consumers savings of up to 50 per cent off standard retail prices.

To get the offers, shoppers download the iOS or Android Shopitize app and sign up to the service, and then receive offers direct to their mobile phone. They then head for the supermarket, buy the goods – they may need to scan the pack to ensure they have the correct pack size/flavour etc that the offer relates to – and after checking out, take a photo of the till receipt. The consumer must photograph the entire receipt. A ‘stitch’ function within the app enables the consumer to take photographs of diferent sections of the receipt and then stitch them together.

The photo of the receipt is then uploaded to the Shopitize mobile ecosystem via the app, where it is validated. Importantly, the retailer plays no part in the redemption process, so there is no to scan a mobile barcode or enter an equivalent reference code at the till. Consumers are rewarded by cashback, either by PayPal, cheque or BACS payment. They can request a cashback payment once their savings balance reaches £5.

“Mobile technology is becoming more and more integrated into our everyday lives, and Shopitize is the first mobile couponing system we have seen that operates right across the retail trade,” said Sam Blunt, brand experience and digital controller at Kellogg’s UK. “Kellogg’s aims wherever possible to embrace and support innovation that could enhance the shopper experience, and Shopitize has the potential to do just that.”

Shopitize managing director Irina Pafomova believes that today’s consumers are savvier than ever, and much less likely to be swayed by traditional, “in-your-face” advertising. “Instead, they want to be entertained and engaged by marketers,” she said. “As more users join and use Shopitize to share their shopping data in privacy, brands will be able to better target the profiles of consumers and offer them highly personal and exclusive offers based on their precise shopping behaviour. This can drastically improve the efficiency of their promotional spends.”

Read David Murphys take on Shopitize here.