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 into a fairly crowded market at the moment. LivingSocial began offering mobile-based local deals this month, and Facebook also introduced a service called Deals in November that targets local users for offers. AT&T also entered the market recently with 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.