Coupons.com launches omnichannel digital coupon platform
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Coupons.com on Thursday unveiled Retailer iQ, a targeting and analytics platform for grocery, drug and mass merchandisers that fundamentally changes the promotions and checkout experience for shoppers and retailers by making them digital, mobile and personalized.
Walgreens was one of the first retailers to implement the new service earlier this year.
Retailer iQ combines several innovative components into one cohesive, omnichannel platform that is designed to drive consumer engagement, activation and shopping behavior for retailers and consumer packaged goods companies. These components include digital e-receipt via SMS and email, personalized recommendations for products and coupons, integrated shopping lists, extensive targeting capabilities, real time analytics and a wide range of integrated digital media experiences. The platform integrates into the retailer point-of-sale system to manage the entire flow of digital couponing, including: creation, issuance, activation, redemption, validation and clearing.
Retailer iQ allows retailers and brands to engage seamlessly with shoppers and offer them relevant discounts across multiple touch points. It helps retailers and brand marketers reach consumers when they’re preparing to shop, while they’re shopping and after they make their purchase — whether that’s via a desktop computer, tablet or mobile phone. In addition, Retailer iQ delivers comprehensive analytics so retailers and marketers can provide far more relevant and personalized offers than current systems provide.
“This technology pushes crumpled, indecipherable receipts and irrelevant coupons into the digital era,” said Steven Boal, CEO Coupons.com. “It’s an incredibly powerful tool. We spent three years building it and we’re proud to be working with Walgreens and our other brand and retailer partners to lead the future of promotions.”
Walgreens began rolling out Retailer iQ early this year, and the technology is now running in more than 8,000 stores. Its more than 100 million Balance Rewards members can now access Paperless Coupons and digital receipts, with the ability to clip digital offers from walgreens.com/coupons and within its mobile app. Users can redeem offers effortlessly at point-of-sale by simply swiping their Balance Rewards cards.
In fact, the Walgreens mobile app with Paperless Coupons is nominated for a Webby Award in recognition of excellence in an integrated mobile experience.
“Our customers live in a digital world and providing them with valuable offerings, such as Paperless Coupons or digital receipts, is an example of how we make the shopping experience even more convenient,” said Rich Lesperance, Walgreens senior director of personalization and CRM. “Walgreens is excited to be on the forefront of digital and working with Retailer iQ supports our ability to deliver relevant rewards and savings through an omnichannel approach.”
The power of Retailer iQ lies in its replacement of paper receipts and promotions with an integrated omnichannel digital experience that keeps the shopper and retailer connected beyond the register. Coupons.com’s offering is a differentiator for marketers that want to know how online spending drives offline sales. At checkout, shoppers have the option to receive an e-receipt that’s delivered in a text message or an email. In addition to listing items purchased, the e-receipt also includes highly relevant digital coupons that can be added directly to their account, loyalty card or rewards program for paperless savings. Shopping lists can be created and managed, incorporating personalized offers based on purchase history. And a dashboard completes the purely digital experience, showing shoppers potential savings available and which coupons they have yet to use.
“More and more consumers are electing to receive digital receipts when offered the option at checkout,” Boal said. “Retailer iQ creates a powerful connection from those e-receipts to highly relevant digital coupons, with benefits for shoppers and retailers alike. This is a significant step toward our goal of transforming the multi-billion dollar promotions industry.”
Retailer iQ is built on top of a personalization platform that evaluates shopping baskets and shopping history in addition to other data to deliver a highly personalized experience for consumers. Whether it is information from retailers or manufacturers on the e-receipt, recommendations for adding items to the shopping list or highly relevant coupons, Retailer iQ’s data engine makes every interaction shopper-specific, whether on a PC, on the go with a mobile phone or in the store.
In addition to Walgreens, Coupons.com is currently implementing Retailer iQ with four other retailer partners — expected to be announced before the end of 2014.