Cellfire (News - Alert), a provider of mobile coupon and discount offer services, announced the availability of mobile grocery coupons. These are offered in partnership with grocer Kroger and other consumer product manufacturers.

 

Consumers will receive savings on individual grocery items using their mobile phones. Presently this capability is offered to Kroger customers in Georgia, South Carolina, Eastern Tennessee and Alabama. Savings on several brands are offered by consumer product manufacturers like Clorox, ConAgra, Del Monte, General Mills, Kimberly-Clark and Unilever.

 

“We’re constantly seeking new innovations to provide our customers with more ways to save,” said Glynn Jenkins, director of communications of the Atlanta Division of Kroger. “With Cellfire, the ability to access grocery coupons using their cell phone helps our customers to save both time and money, resulting in a satisfying shopping experience that truly delivers on our ‘customer first’ promise.”

 

Consumers will benefit by saving time as mobile coupons avoid time-consuming paper coupon clipping, printing out online coupons besides remembering to bring them to the store and presenting them at the cash counter. Mobile coupons can help customers discover savings whereever they are.

 

Customers have to register with the Cellfire mobile coupon service to avail the service from Kroger and link their Cellfire account to their Kroger Plus card. Consumers can view the coupons on their phones and the coupons so selected will automatically get loaded on their Kroger Plus card.

 

Consumers can shop and present their Kroger Plus card at check out for availing the discounts. On expiry the card gets automatically deleted from the phone and the Kroger card.

 

Previously advertisers were reluctant to employ online coupons due to occurrence of fraud and security concerns. Cellfire mobile coupons are however safe from fraud and mal-redemption as redemption occurs digitally in a closed-loop. Advertisers will also have complete control for presetting new coupons based on previous offer performance. Shopper insight is gained by them from the aggregated redemption data available from coupon distribution channels enabling them to serve customers better.

 

“Mobile couponing is a winning initiative for us. Cell phones are always with the consumer and association with the grocer savings card makes it simple and convenient,” said Karl Schmidt, director of promotional marketing at General Mills.

 

“Plus, mobile is an exciting new medium that extends our reach and influence to a younger generation of shoppers who are less inclined to clip coupons from newspapers, circulars, or direct mail,” added Schmidt.

With soaring prices customers value coupons more. Last year the number of coupons used was 2.6 billion and the number remained constant after 16 years, after years of slow decline in usage. Mobile coupons will increase savings for customers as they are more accessible.

 

“By partnering with the number one traditional grocery chain in the U.S. and serving coupons from the top packaged goods manufacturers in the world, we’re making it even easier for consumers to stretch their dollar during this period of economic uncertainty,” said Brent Dusing, CEO of Cellfire.