The new feature, available from junaio [iTunes link], identifies local deals when a consumer points his or her camera phone in the direction of nearby businesses. Coupons offered by merchants as far as 5 feet to 20 miles away pop up on the app. When clicked, the offers lead to a mobile website where consumers can sign up for the deals. There's no need to print the coupons. (See video below for a full description on how the app works.)
Valpak, a unit of Cox Target Media that sends mailers to some 40 million U.S. households, is jumping in to a fairly crowded market at the moment. LivingSocial began offering mobile-based local deals this month, and Facebook also introduced a service called Deals last November that targets local users for offers. AT&T also entered the market recently wit h ShopAlert, which texts offers to consumers when they’re near a participating store or product.
The move comes after Valpak introduced Valpak Deals, a Groupon-like daily deals site, in September.
More About: Augmented Reality, LivingSocial, Mobile 2.0, valpak
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