Rating: It’s easy. Just add water & stir. [OK, we're joking but it is easy].
DIY app building specialist, iBuildApp, has created a service which will enable brands to jump onto the Mobile Coupons bandwagon. With this tool, anyone can create, customise and manage an application that contains mobile coupons and then upload it to an app store. It’s not just iPhone compatible as the name might imply. The company says its mobile app building solution currently supports all major mobile operating systems, including: – iOS (iPhone), Android, BlackBerry, Nokia and Windows. [Not sure whether that includes W7 Mango, though.] iBuildApp has also put together some very interesting stats about mobile, too. For example, it quotes mobile analytics firm, Distimo, as saying, “The majority of the top 100 brands (91 per cent) now have a presence in at least one of the major mobile application stores – usually Apple’s iTunes.
This finding is notable because just 18 months ago [2010], only half (51 per cent) of the top brands even had any mobile applications published.”
On the mobile coupons front, iBuildApp quotes an eMarketer article here which estimates that nearly one in five smartphone owners ages 18 and older will redeem a mobile coupon this year [2011].
That figure represents a growth of 117.6 per cent and the number is rising. eMarketer predicts that by 2013 almost one-third of smartphone users will be redeeming discounts on the go.
iBuildApp’s customers can use its web-based platform to build mobile coupons using an existing RSS feed or the HTML editor.
All they need to do is enter a coupon name and a description. Then enter a URL pointing to a coupon or use the WYSIWYG editor to enter one manually.
The process takes just minutes and doesn’t require writing any code and the company says that it’s quick to build, update or delete coupons with no need to wait for app store approval.
The apps also have social media integration so people can share offers with their friends, which gives a business even more exposure.
Rafael Soultanov, CEO with iBuildApp, commented, “We wanted to help small and mid-size businesses make their own mobile coupons in their own apps.
Instead of using services like Groupon, they can make their own coupons. Not only will they save money, they can create customers who are loyal to their own brand.”
iBuildApp also argues that having an app store presence helps businesses to promote their brand to consumers.
This sounds like a great solution. There is definitely a need for small businesses to be able to make offers without having to depend on daily deal sites for distribution.