Digital promotions company Voucherlcoud has begun final beta testing for its Vouchercloud application, which it describes as the UKs first fully-integrated mobile discount voucher application.
Vouchercloud is an iPhone app that enables consumers to save money in restaurants, bars, on days out and in retail stores. Users can download digital vouchers direct to their screen and redeem at the point of purchase.
The app is due to launch in February. It used location-based technology, enabling users to download vouchers for retailers based on their proximity to their location, using a search radius and listing results. Alternatively, voucher redemption sites can be pinpointed on a Google map which is integrated into the application. Users can also search for vouchers by category.
The digital voucher is delivered straight to the mobile screen. To redeem it, users show the voucher on the phone screen to a member of staff who will apply the necessary discount. Hitting the Redeem button confirms that the voucher has been redeemed and, in the case of a one-time-use voucher, invalidates it for further use. Vouchers can also be downloaded to the handset and can be used when there is no phone signal or Internet connection available.
Retailers can upload their own branded offers directly to the Vouchercloud mobile app and website by using a bespoke web-based merchant dashboard. This allows retailers to set the period the offer runs for; the number of downloads per user or in total; the location for the offer; and the level or type of discount. Retailers can also integrate a barcode or reason code (a randomly-generated unique number) into their offer. This speeds up the transaction, and enables the retailer to monitor the uptake of the digital offer and integrate the data into their own sales systems. Retailers can amend or submit new offers and then track redemptions. They also have the option of buying campaign results data. Vouchercloud says it has signed up a number of brands, including Fitness First, Slug and Lettuce, Karen Millen, and Chessington World of Adventures, which between them offer 3,500 outlets where the vouchers can be redeemed (not 3,500 brands as we originally reported).
Vouchercloud brings paper discount vouchers right up-to-date, says Managing Director Greg Le Tocq. Our fully integrated application will transform the way consumers save money every day. The days of the printed voucher are short-lived.
The Vouchercloud app will be supported by an online portal which delivers every type of discount a consumer might need in the format of their choice, whether a PDF download, mobile application, online discount code or traditional tear-out discount book.
Vouchercloud will initially be launched on Apples iPhone and then rolled out across all Smartphones beginning with Android in Spring 2010.