Quick Pitch: Shooger provides consumers with coupons and deals via SMS or mobile app.
Genius Idea: Even in today's checkin-centric world, research shows that when it comes to location-based apps, consumers really just want more mobile coupons. One way to get them is through Shooger.
Shooger is a mobile coupon platform that specializes in helping consumers find local and national deals on their mobile device. The service currently makes a free iPhone and Android application (and soon BlackBerry) that antes up location-based coupons that shoppers can redeem right from their mobile phone.
As a Shooger user, you can browse and clip the coupons you like on the web or via mobile app -- logged in users can sync clipped coupons between web and mobile. You can also follow the merchants that interest you most to get a real-time deals feed to more quickly siphon through the app's thousands of deals. Shooger was also built with the social web in mind, so you can share the coupons you like with friends on Facebook and Twitter.
Just this week, Shooger introduced a way for business owners to add barcodes and QR codes to the mobile coupons it offers through the service. Business owners can leverage the upgraded functionality to track in-store redemptions, and even limit the number of redemptions per person. Right now this an iPhone-only feature, but barcode and QR code support is also coming to the Android app in the near future.
Most of Shooger's 100,000 plus coupons come from coupon companies such as Valpak, but the startup has engineered a pretty slick mobile experience that makes accessing, sharing and redeeming coupons while out and about a breeze. Plus, by introducing barcode and QR scanning functionality, Shooger is likely to attract more independent business interest from local retailers.
Image courtesy of For Inspiration Only, Flickr
Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark