James Sawhill, a professor at Rutgers Business School in Newark says, "The latest craze is handheld devices."
Sawhill is teaching a class called "Marketing in Society".
One of the most effective ways to market these days, coupons right there on your cell phone.
The days of cutting them, or printing them out are over.
Sawhill says, "You have your cell phone on you all the time. You don't have to go home and cut it out, or lug your heavy computer with you and turn it on."
This technology is so new, no one we showed it to had heard about it.
There are many, but Professor Sawhill says Cellfire.com is one of the biggest. It will work on any device that can access the internet. And of course, there's an app for that on the IPhone and ITouch. It's called Yowza.
The app knows where you are through GPS technology and shows you coupons in your area.
Many coupons even come up with a barcode.
Hand the cashier your phone, quick swipe, and the discount is yours.
Anything that makes life easier for Nicole Walsh is a good thing. She has a 2-year-old at home, and 6-month-old triplets! She will no doubt need lots of "stuff".
So the mobile coupon will be good for moms, and for retailers.
So while Santa still takes the traditional route, you can now get ahead of the game, save lots of money on the spot, and in this economy, that is a deal!
