Are Mobile Apps the Future of Daily Deals?

This past March Groupon’s CEO Andrew Mason stood outside his Chicago headquarters to introduce the company’s new app for smartphones called Groupon Now. The service is amazingly simplistic, consisting of just two buttons, “I’m Hungry” and “I’m Bored.” Groupon Now takes advantage of human nature on so many levels. Find someone that’s hungry or bored (or both) Put something to do or eat in front of them and at a discount price to boot and you have a money maker that’s pretty much fail proof.

While Groupon Now isn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last mobile app for the daily deals and group buying industry it may represent a moment in time when reality showed us just how much we rely on mobile devices for the basics in everyday life.

In a recent article on NBC Chicago, guest writer, Brad Spirrison told entrepreneurs looking to enter the daily deals space that they’d better understand that they were going to need to do more than just launch a website and that in today’s daily deal industry having killer mobile applications for the iPhone and Android was equally important. Spirrison points out that daily deal sites rely on our impulsive buying nature to grab our attention at the point of sale.

A happy hour, for example, is better promoted through a smartphone push notification when a prospect is passing a bar than it is via an email when they are sitting behind a desk in their office.

When we’re in a position to have time to think about a purchase we can easily change our minds or the mood may wear off, just evidence that those mobile devices that have become our constant companions can sometimes work against us and in favor of advertisers.

Spirrison provides a short list of Chicago-based deals companies that stand out when it comes to offering deals to smartphones owners but there are so many more daily deals and group buying sites creating some great apps for consumers that we need to give a few of them mention.

BiteHunter: BiteHunter, a search engine for dining deals, unveiled their new mobile app for iPhone, ipad and iTouch earlier this month. The new app gives users across the country the ability to view offers on a map or as a list and filters the offers according to cuisine price, distance, type of deal and more. The free app provides restaurant information, related deals, reviews, photos and menus for each location and users are also able to share deals, redeem deals and even reserve tables via the BiteHunter mobile app.

Dealavue: Dealavue, one of the Chicago-based companies that Spirrison did mention in his article, believes so strongly in the future of mobile deals that they are currently putting their main focus on their mobile apps as opposed to the website. Dealavue is available for the iPhone with an Android app on the way.

8coupons: In May 8coupons announced the launch of their mobile app for the iPhone. The app is equipped with an Augmented Reality view which allows users to see exactly where the deals are available while walking down the street. 8coupons calls it iDeals. Deals can be filtered by category or you can choose to view all the deals available from your favorite site.

LivingSocial: LivingSocial launched its Instant Deals this past spring, a mobile service that allows consumers on the go to find deals within a half-mile radius of wherever they might be. This new feature was made available through LivingSocial’s existing mobile app and test launched in Washington D.C. Instant Deals offers are available for a much shorter time than traditional deals, sometimes only a few hours.

Scoopon: In April Australia’s Scoopon said they were better than sex when their app beat out the 150+ Best Sex Positions app in Apple’s iTune Store. Scoopon, is reported to be the first group buying site in Australia to launch an iPhone application. The app displays the deal of the day along with a clear description, the time left available to purchase the deal and a buy button making it easy for users to purchase deals right from their iPhones.

Spott: Spott.com teamed with with San Diego-based social media technology and services firm, Parallel 6, allowing Spott to offer deals on a custom branded mobile app using Parallel 6’s Captive Reach technology. Spott subscribers can easily track and pinpoint deals based on location and the offers are instantly redeemable. Users can also share deals with their friends.

The Dealmap: Local and daily deal aggregator, The Dealmap, launched mobile apps for the Apple iPhone and Google Android last year. By April of this year they were reporting that one million consumers had downloaded the two apps. Users can view deals on their mobile devices and see a local map pinpointing exactly where the deals are located.

This is just a sampling of the hundreds, if not thousands, of daily deal and group buying sites that are offering mobile applications to make your search for deals a lot easier and to help merchants get you in the door. Mobile devices are no longer just about making phone calls or sending text messages. They’ve become an integral part of our daily lives and mobile apps may be the new direction for daily deals.

Source: Blooberg Businessweek, NBC Chicago