New Coupon Site Lets Customers Create the Deals
| 6 | Jan 2011 |
Online social media has already taken coupons to a new level with Groupon and other daily deal services.
Now, a new website called CouponRally.com has created a way for the tail (money savers) to wag the dog (companies). It is also an opportunity for business owners to gather valuable marketing data about their customers.
Using the website, consumers ask businesses registered on the site for discounts on products and services they want and then rally friends, family and others in their social networks to join in on the request.
“The creation of CouponRally was driven primarily by a passion to create an ideal promotional social network that would be beneficial for the consumer as well as the merchant,” said Dave Simmons, who founded the site. “Until now, only businesses could decide what discounts were available. CouponRally gives customers the power to design their own coupons and persuade merchants to approve them.”
This is how the new site works: Shoppers go online to CouponRally.com and create their profile. Then they can search more than 6 million businesses nationwide to find those that they would like to approach for coupons. They create the coupon – typically ranging from a 10 to 30 percent discount – and post it for sharing with other consumers who can choose to “Rally It!” Based on the popularity of the coupon, businesses can choose to activate the coupon or decline it. Additionally, CouponRally provides businesses the flexibility to offer multiple promotions per day.
For small businesses and startups, CouponRally also serves as a marketing research tool because it allows them access to inside information on exactly what their customers are looking for and how much they are willing to pay.