BTW, some interesting stuff happening with beacon standards (or lack there of) with Google's announcement about Eddystone.
Retail Engagement in the age of IoT and Proximity Computing
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Eddystone & Other Beacon Happenings
I posted this while back on InfoQ about an Estimote beacon SDK release. A little late, but enjoy regardless :)
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
New wifi cloud management beacons from Kontakt
OfferDrop merchants,
There is some good news we wanted to share with our merchant community. As we all know managing and maintaining beacons is one of the requirements of any OfferDrop installation. We are happy to pass along some information that Kontakt, one of our beacon device partners, has an exciting announcement that will help simplify beacon maintenance and monitoring for small and big installations alike.
Kontakt is releasing a new wifi cloud powered beacon that will make beacon maintenance automated and remotely manageable from the cloud. Please read more:
We are excited about how this new technology will make deploying and maintaining your OfferDrop environment easier and more efficient.
Happy OfferDropping!
OfferDrop Team
"In-Store Mobile Customer Engagement"
http://www.offerdrop.com
http://offerdrop.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/offerdrops
http://www.offerdrop.com
http://offerdrop.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/offerdrops
Mobile Advertising Will Soon Hit a Wall
Today, Facebook is one of the most successful internet giants at monetizing their mobile app properties using mobile advertising. However, a significant portion of Facebook's mobile advertising is coming from VC spending on mobile app downloads and related user acquisitions. Just spend some time on your Facebook time line and see for yourself. This is obviously not sustainable and a big concern for Facebook's long-term revenue growth potential. Of course Facebook is not alone in this, but they are the king of the hill and they are riding the wave right now.Now, we all know what happens when this type of startup and VC fueled spending ends and it will end once the land grab for mobile app downloads and mobile app users dies down and we move into a flatter mobile growth curve. It is one of those cycles that we have seen come and go. The successful players in the mobile advertising space are going to be the ones that are thinking beyond just online mobile advertising via sponsored posts and suggested products in a user's timeline. Next generation mobile advertising, that truly leverages the power of mobile technology, will be about customer engagement and not about how many friends you have. It is about where you are right now and what you might be interested in right now in the physical world (not just online).
The likes of Facebook need to augment their mobile advertising strategy toward more unbundled mobile apps and mobile apps that engagement users in the offline world as well as the online. Mobile apps that fuse to the real world with the online using all the tools available to mobile technology are the ones that will be successful in monetizing mobile users while providing sustainable and meaningful value to the the end user. This type of mobile technology includes integrating proximity and contextual computing into a user's mobile app experience. The definition of successful mobile advertising as we know it today will soon change, so get ready.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Why Every Local Merchant Needs a Contextual Mobile Presence
The big challenge with mobile shopping utility apps and social gizmo apps, that try to assist mobile shoppers or that hit customers with marketing offers and ads, is that they leave the retailer's brand behind and they end up fitting everyone into a Facebook universe or cram you into how players such as FourSquare or ShopKick model the mobile commerce world. These are all good apps, but they don't put the merchant in control nor do they put the merchant's brand in the forefront, because the merchant does not own the app. Much like business website, every local merchant needs to control the experience that mobile shoppers have in their establishment, and not let some third party obscure and waterdown their brand.
It is all about the merchant owning the app real-estate that is used to experience Joe's Coffee Shop, for example, while consumers are in Joe's Coffee Shop. This is why many social and mobile commerce apps are struggling to enable the full potential of mobile commerce for local merchants. The answer is to utilize mobile much like the way any merchant websites would work. As a local merchant, you want your website that you own, operate and customize. You don't want to fit into someone else's ecosystem and brand. It is great to have a merchant Facebook page or to have a corporate Twitter handle, but the in-store mobile app experience that shoppers have in your establishment on your premises should be something you as the merchant owns and controls, much like your website. It is part of your brand and your gateway for communicating and reaching your customers.
Why can't every merchant have their own in-store app just like they have their own website? Why can't every local merchant engage and communicate with local shoppers to nurture a closer relationship with customers? A mobile app is more than just software or a thing to process a credit card transaction or track loyalty; it is a piece of real-estate, in each of the respective app stores, that engages the customer both while they are in and out of the merchant's establishment, just like a website represents a company (big or small) on the web and more. This is what OfferDrop is working to enable for all local merchants and venue owners. Join OfferDrop today to get control of your mobile presence with your local shoppers, while they are in and out of your establishment.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
OfferDrop Release v1.7
OfferDrop is pleased to announce the release of OfferDrop 1.7 for merchants and mobile shoppers. Now available in the Apple app store for the iPad (for merchants) and iPhone (for shoppers).
This release is packed with new features and improvements to enable merchants to engage with in-store customers using iBeacons. New features include:
1) Enhanced algorithm for discovering offers as shoppers move about your store.
2) In-stores offers only visible after notifications are received for stores with multiple beacons giving merchants more control over when offers are visible.
3) Separate notification sent per in-store offer. No more single batch notifications.
4) Lock screen notifications will navigate user to new popup offer details UI.
5) iPad merchant app account settings UI redesign.
6) iPad merchant settings info to configure more merchant options.
7) iPhone UI redesign for great look & feel and navigation.
8) New iPhone push notification center.
9) iPhone beacon detection critical bug fix for new offers.
10) New customer in-store feedback feature to allow merchants to communicate directly with their in-store customers.
11) iPhone in-store offers now show in separate popup.
12) Bug fixes.
Download or upgrade from the Apple app store today to get the latest Merchant iPad app and iPhone mobile app.
Updated Android release for mobile shoppers now also available in the Google Play store.
OfferDrop Team
"In-Store Mobile Customer Engagement"
This release is packed with new features and improvements to enable merchants to engage with in-store customers using iBeacons. New features include:
1) Enhanced algorithm for discovering offers as shoppers move about your store.
2) In-stores offers only visible after notifications are received for stores with multiple beacons giving merchants more control over when offers are visible.
3) Separate notification sent per in-store offer. No more single batch notifications.
4) Lock screen notifications will navigate user to new popup offer details UI.
5) iPad merchant app account settings UI redesign.
6) iPad merchant settings info to configure more merchant options.
7) iPhone UI redesign for great look & feel and navigation.
8) New iPhone push notification center.
9) iPhone beacon detection critical bug fix for new offers.
10) New customer in-store feedback feature to allow merchants to communicate directly with their in-store customers.
11) iPhone in-store offers now show in separate popup.
12) Bug fixes.
Download or upgrade from the Apple app store today to get the latest Merchant iPad app and iPhone mobile app.
Updated Android release for mobile shoppers now also available in the Google Play store.
OfferDrop Team
"In-Store Mobile Customer Engagement"
Friday, April 11, 2014
The Contextual Connection
Mobile patrons can link within the app with Twitter/Facebook, if they like, to socialize with their own network, but within OfferDrop and with the OfferDrop in-store merchant they are completely anonymous entities. How does this work? It works because the connection between merchant and shopper is based on physical proximity which makes it a contextual connection between all the parties involved (but private) and that is validated by the beacon which sits in the center of all this.
This is possible because beacons are local and in the moment contextual devices so the merchant can trust that they are engaging with communication or delivering an offer to someone in their store. This is hugely powerful. Then via anonymous but unique identification, the merchant can optionally continue the conversation with the customer after they leave the store with mobile push notifications, messages...etc. By both parties making that initial "contextual connection" they know a lot about each other without compromising their identity.
OfferDrop lets the merchant follow up with relevant offers both in and out of the store, once both parties (merchant and customer) have made that first initial in-store "contextual connection". This frees the merchant from tracking email addresses or needing to know your identity. And shoppers gets to use the OfferDrop mobile consumer app without logging in - no more remember passwords since the app is running on their personal smartphone. OfferDrop knows them by their mobile ID, since mobile devices are personal objects that more or less identify a unique user.
So beacons and contextual computing are actually a benefit to privacy and improve merchant marketing and advertising opportunities while keeping the consumer protected and connected with the best possible contextual experience with the world around them. Everyone benefits with mobile, beacons and contextual computing. The world of advertising, marketing and customer engagement (even customer support) will forever change with the advent of iBeacons and contextual computing. With contextual communication people can go beyond blasting obscure posts and messages to he whole world to see or to some distant virtual social network, instead people can engage with the world around them like never before - come back to real world - lots of cool things to see and experience :)
Thursday, April 10, 2014
OfferDrop Merchant App Release 1.3
OfferDrop is happy to announce the release of OfferDrop Merchant App for the iPad. This latest release delivers some exciting features to local merchants be allowing merchants and developers the ability to manage and add their own Estimote beacons as well as support for other iBeacon compatible manufacturers. This release also includes advanced spam control and optimized mobile offer deliver features so that merchants can reach mobile shoppers and keep them engaged with well timed and optimized in-store notifications.
OfferDrop is a new kind of digital marketing and customer contact platform designed to work out of the box and can be used directly by local merchants (low cost and easy to get started fast) and is ideal for digital marketing agencies as well that need more sophisticated tools and customization (white labeled mobile consumer apps).
To make this happen OfferDrop uses all the usual technologies such as mobile, Push Notifications and cloud based CMS technology, but OfferDrop also incorporate iBeacan and peer-to-peer communication for the local experience and engagement. And OfferDrop has a number of advanced technology capabilities that help govern, in an efficient and optimized manner, both the in-store and out-of-store mobile customer experience.
OfferDrop is not another push notification campaign management solution, instead OfferDrop has built a mobile first platform that allows merchants to engage with local shoppers while visitors are in the store and out of the store, and with a focus on in-store communication and customer retention. OfferDrop lowers the barrier of entry for merchants and digital marketing agencies and delivers a solution where the smartphone shopper/visitor is in control of their mobile contextual experience.
OfferDrop is a new kind of digital marketing and customer contact platform designed to work out of the box and can be used directly by local merchants (low cost and easy to get started fast) and is ideal for digital marketing agencies as well that need more sophisticated tools and customization (white labeled mobile consumer apps).
To make this happen OfferDrop uses all the usual technologies such as mobile, Push Notifications and cloud based CMS technology, but OfferDrop also incorporate iBeacan and peer-to-peer communication for the local experience and engagement. And OfferDrop has a number of advanced technology capabilities that help govern, in an efficient and optimized manner, both the in-store and out-of-store mobile customer experience.
OfferDrop is not another push notification campaign management solution, instead OfferDrop has built a mobile first platform that allows merchants to engage with local shoppers while visitors are in the store and out of the store, and with a focus on in-store communication and customer retention. OfferDrop lowers the barrier of entry for merchants and digital marketing agencies and delivers a solution where the smartphone shopper/visitor is in control of their mobile contextual experience.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
The iBeacon Race is On
As the momentum for BLE has been building, Apple's iOS 7 and Android 4.3 have opened the door wide open for developers to begin to bring innovative solutions to the market. But I think one of the biggest momentum drivers for this will be the Apple iBeacon standard (trademark and BLE profile). The recent announcement by Apple will create a certification type standard that will further enable better interoperability and ultimately lower development costs and other technology barriers. While the iBeacon name is often times used loosely to include any device that uses BLE, what Apple is doing will set a standard for how both mobile devices and transmitting contextual devices can talk with each other. This will lower the bar for developers to build applications that can work with a wider spectrum of device maker beacons - and the list of manufactures is growing every day. The iBeacon stamp will likely become the gold standard for micro-location solutions and devices at a hardware and API level.
Contextual computing is now possible from both sides of the equation, from mobile devices to smart wearables to cheap broadcasting devices. iBeacon device makers such as Estimote, among many others, are building cheap and easy to deploy BLE broadcasting devices that developers can use in countless ways to deliver innovative proximity solutions. This along with mobile powered BLE devices will bring a new flock of creative solutions to the mobile app we use everyday and will allow merchants to deploy solutions and environments that will enable true contextual engagement and computing for mobile users.
I expect the Apple iBeacon standard to win out in the end and for all beacon device makers to certify their devices compatibly with the Apple iBeacon spec. And expect the same from SDK developers, who will insure their APIs work with iBeacon devices. Think of BLE as the alphabet and the iBeacon standard as the language that a new world of smart contextually aware devices will be using. The race is on to a world that will engage with you as you move through your day to day life.
At OfferDrop, our goal is to empower local merchants to make their establishments and venues contextual aware where they can engage with their customers and users to deliver better solutions and services while improving the customer experience.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Beacons are Popping Up Everywhere
Consumer level interview about beacon and mobile technology:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoywCPyPh2M
Monday, November 25, 2013
Why Every Local Merchant Needs a Mobile Presence
For local merchants, mobile is the new way to define their brand and their presence both on the web and in the streets (geo-streets that is). Having a domain name, webpage and company Facebook page is so last decade. Today every local merchant needs a mobile presences that connects them with their patrons with big dose of context.
The big challenge with mobile utility apps and social gizmo apps, that try to assist mobile shoppers or that hit customers with marketing offers and ads, is that they leave the retailer's brand behind and they end up fitting everyone into a Facebook universe or cram you into how FourSquare or ShopKick models the mcommerce world. These are all good apps, but they don't put the merchant in control nor their brand in the forefront, because the merchant does not own the app. Much like your website, every local merchant needs to control the experience that mobile shoppers have in their establishment, and not let some third party obscure their brand.
It is all about the merchant owning the app real-estate that is used to experience, Joe's Coffee Shop, while consumers are in Joe's Coffee Shop. This is why FourSquare and Facebook are struggling to enable the full potential of mcommerce. The answer is much like the way any merchant websites would work. As a local merchant, I want a website that I own and operate, I don't want to fit into someone else's ecosystem. It is great to have a merchant Facebook Page or to have a corporate Twitter handle, but the mobile app experience that shoppers have in your store should be something you as the merchant owns and controls, much like your website. It is part of your brand and your gateway for communicating and reaching your customers
Big and small local merchants need to define their own mcommerce experience and brand and not depend on the likes of ShopKick and FourSquare to define how they engage their local shoppers. This is in part why Facebook and others have not figured out local commerce yet.
Why can't every merchant have their own in-store app just like they have their own website? A mobile app is more than just code, it is a piece of real-estate in the respective app stores that engages the customer, just like a website represents a company (big or small) on the web. This is what OfferDrop is working to enable for all local merchants and establishment owners. Join OfferDrop today to get control of your mobile presence for your shoppers, while they are in and out of your establishment.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Local Shopping Is Becoming More Mobile and Social
This StreetFight article provides some interesting food for thought on where local search and SoLoMo commerce is going. Facebook has the potential to dominate this turf by doing what no other provider can do and integrating the social layer with local search.
One thing in the discussion that got my attention was the topic about inaccurate local venues as they relate to FB brand pages. This is a problem for large chains with many venues. In reality, a lot of large chains don't even claim their FB community Places. We solve this at OfferDrop by linking community and non-community FB Places to their FB brand pages. This way when a corporate FB Brand Page publishes an Offer or Post, we link it to the local FB place whether or not that Place is claimed by the corporate chain or not. This way when you search for FB Offers and Posts locally, in OfferDrop, you can see them linked to the offers that come from the Brand Page. This benefits shoppers and merchants.
OfferDrop is currently available for the iPhone, Android and web. Visit our website to download the OfferDrop mobile app and get started discovering all the great Facebook Offers around you. Also stay tuned for our Merchant Offers Platform coming soon that will allow local merchants to reach and communicate more effectively with their Facebook shoppers.
One thing in the discussion that got my attention was the topic about inaccurate local venues as they relate to FB brand pages. This is a problem for large chains with many venues. In reality, a lot of large chains don't even claim their FB community Places. We solve this at OfferDrop by linking community and non-community FB Places to their FB brand pages. This way when a corporate FB Brand Page publishes an Offer or Post, we link it to the local FB place whether or not that Place is claimed by the corporate chain or not. This way when you search for FB Offers and Posts locally, in OfferDrop, you can see them linked to the offers that come from the Brand Page. This benefits shoppers and merchants.
OfferDrop is currently available for the iPhone, Android and web. Visit our website to download the OfferDrop mobile app and get started discovering all the great Facebook Offers around you. Also stay tuned for our Merchant Offers Platform coming soon that will allow local merchants to reach and communicate more effectively with their Facebook shoppers.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
OfferDrop: Local Facebook Commerce for Merchants
We are pleased to announce the latest release of our OfferDrop Facebook Commerce platform which includes updates to our consumer mobile apps and merchant tools. This release, includes an improved OfferDrop Shopping Wall that visually aggregates your Facebook shopping activity, so you never miss a thing your friends are finding and sharing from local merchants. This release also includes a beta launch of our new merchant tool that allows business owners and Facebook Page admins to manage and organize their local Facebook Offers and compaigns from one easy to use interface.
OfferDrop allows shoppers to search for local Facebook Offers from local merchants and manage saved and claimed Offers from one convenient mobile app. With this latest release of OfferDrop, we have enabled tighter integration with Facebook so you can see all the offers your friends are sharing on Facebook. No more hunting through your email inbox for claimed offers or scanning through your Facebook news feed to see what offers your friends and local merchants are sharing.
The OfferDrop Shopping Wall is a fun and powerful Pinterest like visual aggregation feed within OfferDrop. It allows you to visually see all the offers your friends are sharing and liking from all the merchants around you. No more scanning through your liked Facebook merchant pages to find new offers or waiting for offers to pop-up in your Facebook news feed. Now everything is organized for you on the OfferDrop Shopping Wall and available on your mobile phone. That is not mention all the other great OfferDrop Facebook features such as following your favorite shoppers, favorite local merchants, push notifications from merchants and friends you follow so that you are always on top of the lastest deals around you. And if you are an iPhone user, then you also get to manage all your offers using Apple Passbook as an added benefit.
For local merchants this release allows you to create and manage Facebook Offers for all your Facebook Pages from one easy to use tool. Create new Facebook Offers and promote them all from one interface. Attached QR codes to your offers to track and manage redemption programs and enable Apple Passbook support for your iPhone customers. Future releases will include more analytics and redemption/rewards managment features.
More About OfferDrop:
OfferDrop turbo charges Facebook Offers by making more local and connects shoppers with local merchants. Try it now and discover all the great Facebook Offers and merchants around you today. Never miss a nearby offer and stay connected with your friends to find all the popular Facebook Offers and merchants.
Local merchants, small and large, can benefit from OfferDrop, by reaching and communicating with their local customers using OfferDrop's geo-location powered social apps and tools. OfferDrop allows merchants to advertise to local shoppers using Facebook while reaching local customers on mobile devices. Merchants can create local social buzz to increase foot traffic and improve local brand awareness. OfferDrop includes tools to make it easier for merchants to create, manage and track their Facebook Offers. Reach more local customers using tools such as Apple Passbook and track redeemed offers using OfferDrop's Facebook merchant tools.
OfferDrop is currently available for the iPhone, Android and desktop/web. Visit our website to download the OfferDrop mobile app and get started discovering all the great Facebook Offers around you from local merchants. Merchants can also get started using OfferDrop's merchant tools to tap into the full potential of Facebbok social commerce to reach and communicate more effectively with their Facebook shoppers.
OfferDrop Team
http://www.offerdrop.com
OfferDrop allows shoppers to search for local Facebook Offers from local merchants and manage saved and claimed Offers from one convenient mobile app. With this latest release of OfferDrop, we have enabled tighter integration with Facebook so you can see all the offers your friends are sharing on Facebook. No more hunting through your email inbox for claimed offers or scanning through your Facebook news feed to see what offers your friends and local merchants are sharing.
The OfferDrop Shopping Wall is a fun and powerful Pinterest like visual aggregation feed within OfferDrop. It allows you to visually see all the offers your friends are sharing and liking from all the merchants around you. No more scanning through your liked Facebook merchant pages to find new offers or waiting for offers to pop-up in your Facebook news feed. Now everything is organized for you on the OfferDrop Shopping Wall and available on your mobile phone. That is not mention all the other great OfferDrop Facebook features such as following your favorite shoppers, favorite local merchants, push notifications from merchants and friends you follow so that you are always on top of the lastest deals around you. And if you are an iPhone user, then you also get to manage all your offers using Apple Passbook as an added benefit.
For local merchants this release allows you to create and manage Facebook Offers for all your Facebook Pages from one easy to use tool. Create new Facebook Offers and promote them all from one interface. Attached QR codes to your offers to track and manage redemption programs and enable Apple Passbook support for your iPhone customers. Future releases will include more analytics and redemption/rewards managment features.
More About OfferDrop:
OfferDrop turbo charges Facebook Offers by making more local and connects shoppers with local merchants. Try it now and discover all the great Facebook Offers and merchants around you today. Never miss a nearby offer and stay connected with your friends to find all the popular Facebook Offers and merchants.
Local merchants, small and large, can benefit from OfferDrop, by reaching and communicating with their local customers using OfferDrop's geo-location powered social apps and tools. OfferDrop allows merchants to advertise to local shoppers using Facebook while reaching local customers on mobile devices. Merchants can create local social buzz to increase foot traffic and improve local brand awareness. OfferDrop includes tools to make it easier for merchants to create, manage and track their Facebook Offers. Reach more local customers using tools such as Apple Passbook and track redeemed offers using OfferDrop's Facebook merchant tools.
OfferDrop is currently available for the iPhone, Android and desktop/web. Visit our website to download the OfferDrop mobile app and get started discovering all the great Facebook Offers around you from local merchants. Merchants can also get started using OfferDrop's merchant tools to tap into the full potential of Facebbok social commerce to reach and communicate more effectively with their Facebook shoppers.
OfferDrop Team
http://www.offerdrop.com
Monday, April 8, 2013
OfferDrop: Your Facebook Offers App
OfferDrop is happy to announce our latest mobile app release for the iPhone. With release 3.2.4, Facebook users can now see Facebook Offers their friends are claiming, sharing and liking on Facebook. The OfferDrop Shopping Wall now shows everything your friends are sharing and claiming, so you never miss a thing.
OfferDrop allows shoppers to search for local Facebook Offers from local merchants and manage their saved and claimed Offers from one convenient mobile app. With this latest release of OfferDrop, we have enabled tighter integration with Facebook so you can see all the Offers your friends are sharing. No more hunting through your email inbox for claimed offers or scanning through your Facebook news feed to see what Offers your friends are sharing.
The OfferDrop Shopping Wall is a fun and powerful Pinterest like feature within OfferDrop. It allows you to visually see all the Offers your friends are sharing and liking from all the merchants you like and follow. No more scanning through your liked Facebook merchant pages to find new Offers or wait for Offers to pop-up in your Facebook news feed. Now everything is organized for you on the OfferDrop Shopping Wall. That is not mention all the other great OfferDrop Facebook features such as push notifications from merchants you follow and friends you follow.
OfferDrop makes Facebook Offers more fun and more social. Try it now and discover all the great Facebook Offers and Facebook merchants around you today. Never miss a nearby Facebook Offer and stay connected with your friends to find all the popular Facebook Offers and merchants.
OfferDrop is currently available for the iPhone, Android and web. Visit our website to download the OfferDrop mobile app and get started discovering all the great Facebook Offers around you. Also stay tuned for our Merchant Offers Platform coming soon that will allow local merchants to reach and communicate more effectively with their Facebook shoppers.
OfferDrop Team
http://www.offerdrop.com
OfferDrop allows shoppers to search for local Facebook Offers from local merchants and manage their saved and claimed Offers from one convenient mobile app. With this latest release of OfferDrop, we have enabled tighter integration with Facebook so you can see all the Offers your friends are sharing. No more hunting through your email inbox for claimed offers or scanning through your Facebook news feed to see what Offers your friends are sharing.
The OfferDrop Shopping Wall is a fun and powerful Pinterest like feature within OfferDrop. It allows you to visually see all the Offers your friends are sharing and liking from all the merchants you like and follow. No more scanning through your liked Facebook merchant pages to find new Offers or wait for Offers to pop-up in your Facebook news feed. Now everything is organized for you on the OfferDrop Shopping Wall. That is not mention all the other great OfferDrop Facebook features such as push notifications from merchants you follow and friends you follow.
OfferDrop makes Facebook Offers more fun and more social. Try it now and discover all the great Facebook Offers and Facebook merchants around you today. Never miss a nearby Facebook Offer and stay connected with your friends to find all the popular Facebook Offers and merchants.
OfferDrop is currently available for the iPhone, Android and web. Visit our website to download the OfferDrop mobile app and get started discovering all the great Facebook Offers around you. Also stay tuned for our Merchant Offers Platform coming soon that will allow local merchants to reach and communicate more effectively with their Facebook shoppers.
OfferDrop Team
http://www.offerdrop.com
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
OfferDrop for Android
OfferDrop is happy to announce a new release of our Android Facebook Shopping app. With version 1.2 for Android, Facebook shoppers can now more easily search and discover great Facebook Offers nearby. This release make it easier to search for Facebook Offers by category and to share with other Facebook friends.
This release puts Android on the same feature parity with our iPhone version. So if you are an Android user, download OfferDrop from Google Play and start discovering great deals and coupons from your local Facebook merchants and start sharing with friends. Also check out the new Shopping Wall that makes it fun to see what Offers your friends are claiming.
OfferDrop is currently available for the iPhone and Android. Visit our website to download the mobile app and to learn more. Also stay tuned for our Merchant Offers Platform coming soon that will allow local merchants to reach and communicate more effectively with their Facebook shoppers.
OfferDrop Team
http://www.offerdrop.com
This release puts Android on the same feature parity with our iPhone version. So if you are an Android user, download OfferDrop from Google Play and start discovering great deals and coupons from your local Facebook merchants and start sharing with friends. Also check out the new Shopping Wall that makes it fun to see what Offers your friends are claiming.
OfferDrop is currently available for the iPhone and Android. Visit our website to download the mobile app and to learn more. Also stay tuned for our Merchant Offers Platform coming soon that will allow local merchants to reach and communicate more effectively with their Facebook shoppers.
OfferDrop Team
http://www.offerdrop.com
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Facebook Offers Continue to Grow
The Facebook Offers service is driving business and changing the way merchants attract customers to their local stores. It has been reported by Facebook that nearly 42 million unique users claimed Facebook Offers since the launch of the service last year. Watch out Groupon and LivingSocial, Facebook Offers are here to stay! See this post for more details on the growth of Facebook Offers:
http://www.dmconfidential.com/the-benefits-of-facebook-offers/
OfferDrop is great services to help you find great Facebook Offers near you and share them with friends. And if you are a local merchant OfferDrop can help you reach more customers by making Facebook Offers easier to manage and by providing powerful integration with Apple Passbook to make it easier for shoppers to be notified of your offers when they are near your local stores.
OfferDrop Team
http://www.offerdrop.com
http://www.dmconfidential.com/the-benefits-of-facebook-offers/
OfferDrop is great services to help you find great Facebook Offers near you and share them with friends. And if you are a local merchant OfferDrop can help you reach more customers by making Facebook Offers easier to manage and by providing powerful integration with Apple Passbook to make it easier for shoppers to be notified of your offers when they are near your local stores.
OfferDrop Team
http://www.offerdrop.com
Monday, February 4, 2013
Passbook Powered Facebook Offers
We are very excited to announce the release of OfferDrop 3.2 for the iPhone. This release provides support for Apple Passbook. This allows Facebook shoppers to save their local Facebook Offers right to their Passbook wallet on their iPhone with just one tap.
This is the perfect combination of technology that makes it easier for Facebook shoppers to mange their coupons and offers in one place. No more hunting for Facebook deals anymore. You can use OfferDrop to search for great nearby Facebook Offers then save your offers to your Passbook wallet. Then anytime you are near the merchant's store, Passbook will remind you of the offer. OfferDrop and Passbook also makes it easy for shoppers to redeem their offers - no more hunting through your emails for Facebook offers!
Our OfferDrop mobile app lets you search and find nearby Facebook Offers right from your mobile phone and save your coupons straight into Passbook. Share with friends to discover more local Facebook offers. Facebook merchants can get in on the action by using OfferDrop to create their own locally enabled Facebook Offers including very easy support for creating and managing Passbook coupons.
Also coming soon we will be providing more powerful merchant tools to allow Facebook merchants to tightly integrate their Facebook Offers and rewards programs with Passbook. Try OfferDrop today and see how easy it is find great Facebook offers near you.
OfferDrop Team
http://www.offerdrop.com
This is the perfect combination of technology that makes it easier for Facebook shoppers to mange their coupons and offers in one place. No more hunting for Facebook deals anymore. You can use OfferDrop to search for great nearby Facebook Offers then save your offers to your Passbook wallet. Then anytime you are near the merchant's store, Passbook will remind you of the offer. OfferDrop and Passbook also makes it easy for shoppers to redeem their offers - no more hunting through your emails for Facebook offers!
Our OfferDrop mobile app lets you search and find nearby Facebook Offers right from your mobile phone and save your coupons straight into Passbook. Share with friends to discover more local Facebook offers. Facebook merchants can get in on the action by using OfferDrop to create their own locally enabled Facebook Offers including very easy support for creating and managing Passbook coupons.
Also coming soon we will be providing more powerful merchant tools to allow Facebook merchants to tightly integrate their Facebook Offers and rewards programs with Passbook. Try OfferDrop today and see how easy it is find great Facebook offers near you.
OfferDrop Team
http://www.offerdrop.com
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Coupons Just Got Really Social & Local
We have been hard at work here at OfferDrop on what will be an awesome mobile application for both shoppers and merchants. OfferDrop has always had the mission to transform local commerce and bring shoppers together in a fun and beneficial social network while making it easier for merchants to reach their local consumer base. With our impending launch, we are close to delivering on the first step of our vision.
We are now just about there. Stay tuned for the new radical makeover of the OfferDrop mobile app and platform. Check our website for a sneak peak on what we have cooking.
We believe the Facebook platform and smartphone revolution are still in their infancy and have virtually unbounded potential to change not just how friends and family communicate but how people shop smarter and how merchants reach local shoppers.
Commerce solutions such as Facebook Offers and Apple Passbook will transform how people shop and share in their every day lives. These platforms will also change how merchants reach their local consumers and at OfferDrop we will be there to deliver awesome solutions for both shoppers and merchants leveraging these foundations. Stay tuned, the ride is just getting started.
OfferDrop Team
http://www.offerdrop.com
We are now just about there. Stay tuned for the new radical makeover of the OfferDrop mobile app and platform. Check our website for a sneak peak on what we have cooking.
We believe the Facebook platform and smartphone revolution are still in their infancy and have virtually unbounded potential to change not just how friends and family communicate but how people shop smarter and how merchants reach local shoppers.
Commerce solutions such as Facebook Offers and Apple Passbook will transform how people shop and share in their every day lives. These platforms will also change how merchants reach their local consumers and at OfferDrop we will be there to deliver awesome solutions for both shoppers and merchants leveraging these foundations. Stay tuned, the ride is just getting started.
OfferDrop Team
http://www.offerdrop.com
Saturday, August 18, 2012
A Better Way to Shop - OfferDrop
OfferDrop is a new way to shop with your mobile device that puts the power in your hands (your mobile phone) for finding the best prices and deals from local merchants while allowing you to share and communicate with other shoppers in your local community. Our goal is to help you save on the things you buy every day while learning and sharing with other shoppers on where to shop for the best products and best prices nearby.
We believe that OfferDrop will be a revolution in shopping by allowing consumers to communicate with merchants and leverage mobile technology to improve the overall shopping experience. Many solutions provide shoppers with tools or exclusive deals to help them shop better. This is great, but OfferDrop takes this a step further by integrating your social network and micro-location based services to make shopping more engaging and informative while improving the overall in-store experience.
The goal with OfferDrop is to democratize the shopping experience. No more waiting for the best deals or coupons to be sent to you by merchants and stores when they see fit. Now you use the power of your mobile phone and social network to find the best prices and best products nearby for the things you buy every day.
Stay tuned for more news from OfferDrop. This is only the first step in many exciting things that OfferDrop will deliver to evolve the shopping experience.
OfferDrop is currently available for the iPhone and a beta versin is available on Android. Visit our website to download the mobile app and to learn more. Also stay tuned for our Merchant Offers Platform coming soon that will allow local merchants to reach and communicate more effectively with their Facebook shoppers.
http://www.offerdrop.com
We believe that OfferDrop will be a revolution in shopping by allowing consumers to communicate with merchants and leverage mobile technology to improve the overall shopping experience. Many solutions provide shoppers with tools or exclusive deals to help them shop better. This is great, but OfferDrop takes this a step further by integrating your social network and micro-location based services to make shopping more engaging and informative while improving the overall in-store experience.
The goal with OfferDrop is to democratize the shopping experience. No more waiting for the best deals or coupons to be sent to you by merchants and stores when they see fit. Now you use the power of your mobile phone and social network to find the best prices and best products nearby for the things you buy every day.
Stay tuned for more news from OfferDrop. This is only the first step in many exciting things that OfferDrop will deliver to evolve the shopping experience.
OfferDrop is currently available for the iPhone and a beta versin is available on Android. Visit our website to download the mobile app and to learn more. Also stay tuned for our Merchant Offers Platform coming soon that will allow local merchants to reach and communicate more effectively with their Facebook shoppers.
http://www.offerdrop.com
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Social Frictionless Commerce
OfferDrop listed as example of new social mobile shopping revolution.
"The shopping experience is in the process of a full-scale revolution. Social recommendations, F-commerce and dynamic pricing are dominating e-commerce while contactless payments and virtual wallets are evidence that digital technology is fundamentally changing the real-world shopping experience." Read more.
http://www.offerdrop.com
"The shopping experience is in the process of a full-scale revolution. Social recommendations, F-commerce and dynamic pricing are dominating e-commerce while contactless payments and virtual wallets are evidence that digital technology is fundamentally changing the real-world shopping experience." Read more.
http://www.offerdrop.com
Monday, April 23, 2012
OfferDrop Connecting Mobile Shoppers and Retailers
OfferDrop (previously known as ShopZooky) is recognized for its disruptive influence on local retailers and social shoppers.
"...the creators of OfferDrop now offer a social shopping platform designed to counter this trend by enabling direct contact with the consumer...". Read full article.
http://www.offerdrop.com
"...the creators of OfferDrop now offer a social shopping platform designed to counter this trend by enabling direct contact with the consumer...". Read full article.
http://www.offerdrop.com
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
How Mobile Apps can Help Local Retailers
Every Christmas shopping season many big and small retailers get more nervous on how the internet and mobile technology is changing the way consumers shop. The internet is not new a phenomena. It has been growing at a steady pace since Amazon and others took root during the dotcom days. However, I think this holiday season is different. It has really hit home with many in the retail industry that not only are shoppers looking to do more of their shopping online, but they are changing their shopping habits altogether.
It comes as no surprise that some things are easy to buy online such as books, video games and electronics, to name a few. Sales of such products have been growing steadily online (and shrinking at at brick and mortar retailers). There are plenty of examples of physically retailers shutting down and either moving everything online or just going out of business. Again this is not a big surprise as this has been growing season by season. However, what is really getting the traditional retailers even more concerned now is a new dynamic that is coming together to create a perfect storm that sending more people online than before. Mobile applications are the new driver for a new way to shop that people are starting to utilize more and more.
With smartphones now common place, people are getting accustomed to using their mobile devices to comparison shop while they are in their local retail stores. The problem is, more an more people are using local stores as showrooms and then making their purchases online. The combination of the internet, smartphones, barcode scanners, online product lookup/comparison, social networking/sharing is making it hard for local merchants and stores to close transactions in their physical stores. The consumer just has too many tools and too much information at their finger tips.
Some retailers like Target are resorting to some radical methods to hold the consumer captive once they enter their stores. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Target is an example how things can get a little extreme. Target more or less wants to isolate the consumer and wall them off from the internet to limit what they can do with their mobile apps once they enter Target. One can understand the situation that Target and other local merchants are in when it comes to competing with the online guys, but I argue this is the wrong way to go about it and will end badly for those that do not embrace the new social mobile shopping evolution.
Sure, Target can force their vendors to create custom brands with unique UPC codes so that products become hard to search and compare online (and with other local stores). But this will not work in the long run. All that Target is doing is isolating themselves much the same way AOL did by not fully embracing the internet and mobile/social shopping. The walled garden will not work. It will come down sooner or later. At OfferDrop we understand this first hand. While we use UPC codes for product lookup in our mobile apps, for example, we do not rely on this and plan to make searching and comparing much more unstructured in the future as we move to more powerful search and comparison tools that do not depend on UPC barcodes in the future.
Anyway, I got off the subject. Local merchants need to embrace the mobile and social shopping dynamic not try to contain it when shoppers enter their stores. Instead what Target and all other local merchants should do is go social and connect with their customers in ways that the online guys can't. Do not just push exclusive coupons and deals to consumers, interact with them at a personal level when they enter your stores. For example, if a shopper scans a product in your store and posts about it their friends or social network, the local merchant should be part of this social network and follow up with the customer and offer them a coupon or see if shopper asked a question and give them an answer about the product right on the spot. Or followup with the customer after they leave, but the main point is that the local merchant should be part of the shoppers local social network. Embrace social and mobile applications do not hide behind them or just offer your own walled garden app. And this goes beyond just offering coupons and deals. Make it personal with the shopper. This can be especially powerful for smaller merchants who can get more intimate with their shoppers and their local shopping network.
This is our battle cry at OfferDrop. We want to empower the local merchant (big and small) and allow them to connect in meaningful ways with their local customers. We believe local shopping has as much to gain from mobile shopping tools and social networks as do online virtual stores. Get on OfferDrop and start making shopping social.
http://www.offerdrop.com
It comes as no surprise that some things are easy to buy online such as books, video games and electronics, to name a few. Sales of such products have been growing steadily online (and shrinking at at brick and mortar retailers). There are plenty of examples of physically retailers shutting down and either moving everything online or just going out of business. Again this is not a big surprise as this has been growing season by season. However, what is really getting the traditional retailers even more concerned now is a new dynamic that is coming together to create a perfect storm that sending more people online than before. Mobile applications are the new driver for a new way to shop that people are starting to utilize more and more.
With smartphones now common place, people are getting accustomed to using their mobile devices to comparison shop while they are in their local retail stores. The problem is, more an more people are using local stores as showrooms and then making their purchases online. The combination of the internet, smartphones, barcode scanners, online product lookup/comparison, social networking/sharing is making it hard for local merchants and stores to close transactions in their physical stores. The consumer just has too many tools and too much information at their finger tips.
Some retailers like Target are resorting to some radical methods to hold the consumer captive once they enter their stores. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Target is an example how things can get a little extreme. Target more or less wants to isolate the consumer and wall them off from the internet to limit what they can do with their mobile apps once they enter Target. One can understand the situation that Target and other local merchants are in when it comes to competing with the online guys, but I argue this is the wrong way to go about it and will end badly for those that do not embrace the new social mobile shopping evolution.
Sure, Target can force their vendors to create custom brands with unique UPC codes so that products become hard to search and compare online (and with other local stores). But this will not work in the long run. All that Target is doing is isolating themselves much the same way AOL did by not fully embracing the internet and mobile/social shopping. The walled garden will not work. It will come down sooner or later. At OfferDrop we understand this first hand. While we use UPC codes for product lookup in our mobile apps, for example, we do not rely on this and plan to make searching and comparing much more unstructured in the future as we move to more powerful search and comparison tools that do not depend on UPC barcodes in the future.
Anyway, I got off the subject. Local merchants need to embrace the mobile and social shopping dynamic not try to contain it when shoppers enter their stores. Instead what Target and all other local merchants should do is go social and connect with their customers in ways that the online guys can't. Do not just push exclusive coupons and deals to consumers, interact with them at a personal level when they enter your stores. For example, if a shopper scans a product in your store and posts about it their friends or social network, the local merchant should be part of this social network and follow up with the customer and offer them a coupon or see if shopper asked a question and give them an answer about the product right on the spot. Or followup with the customer after they leave, but the main point is that the local merchant should be part of the shoppers local social network. Embrace social and mobile applications do not hide behind them or just offer your own walled garden app. And this goes beyond just offering coupons and deals. Make it personal with the shopper. This can be especially powerful for smaller merchants who can get more intimate with their shoppers and their local shopping network.
This is our battle cry at OfferDrop. We want to empower the local merchant (big and small) and allow them to connect in meaningful ways with their local customers. We believe local shopping has as much to gain from mobile shopping tools and social networks as do online virtual stores. Get on OfferDrop and start making shopping social.
http://www.offerdrop.com
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Coupons Gone Wild
OfferDrop recently introduced support for socializing coupons. Now, coupons are an interesting beast that come in different shapes and sizes. You got your web coupons, paper coupons, store coupon, manufacturer coupons...etc. Enough to say you got all sorts of coupons out there and different ways to redeem them. And redeeming them has its own challenges. It is not clear if any real standards will evolve with web coupons either. Coupons have historically been a free for all and web coupons look no different.
If your favorite store has an optical scanner you might be lucky enough that they can even scan a coupon barcode right off your phone's display. If they don't have an optical scanner (many only have laser scanners) you are probably out of luck and have to watch the cashier painfully enter the coupon code by hand. Maybe in the future you can just shake you phone or point it at the direction of the casher and your coupons will flow (don't hold your breath for NFC).
Well, with OfferDrop we where not totally sure what to do with coupons when we first looked at adding the concept to the OfferDrop network. Our main goal was for people to share what coupons they found in anyway they coude with others in their circle.
We wanted a simple concept, so we decided to make it as flexible as possible. In OfferDrop, you can added a comment to a product posting and simply comment that a product at a particular store has a particular type of coupon available and to describe how or where to find it or maybe even include a URL for it, if it is a web based coupon, for example. If you happen to have the coupon in front of you, you can even take a photo of it and upload it to the OfferDrop network and attach it to the product posting in order share the photo of the coupon with everyone following this product or following you. If you take a good enough picture of the coupon, the end user might even be able to use at the checkout scanner - hold that camera steady! And hopefully the store you are at has an optical scanner.
With this approach to coupons in OfferDrop, we made coupon sharing very open and flexible. People can share just about any kind of coupon offers they find and share them with their friends and followers. How you redeem the coupon can still be a trick, but we will get there one day.
Give OfferDrop a spin and try the coupon sharing feature. If you are a coupon hunter this is a nice way to share what you find with others and let others benefit from your coupon hunting skills.
http://www.offerdrop.com
If your favorite store has an optical scanner you might be lucky enough that they can even scan a coupon barcode right off your phone's display. If they don't have an optical scanner (many only have laser scanners) you are probably out of luck and have to watch the cashier painfully enter the coupon code by hand. Maybe in the future you can just shake you phone or point it at the direction of the casher and your coupons will flow (don't hold your breath for NFC).
Well, with OfferDrop we where not totally sure what to do with coupons when we first looked at adding the concept to the OfferDrop network. Our main goal was for people to share what coupons they found in anyway they coude with others in their circle.
We wanted a simple concept, so we decided to make it as flexible as possible. In OfferDrop, you can added a comment to a product posting and simply comment that a product at a particular store has a particular type of coupon available and to describe how or where to find it or maybe even include a URL for it, if it is a web based coupon, for example. If you happen to have the coupon in front of you, you can even take a photo of it and upload it to the OfferDrop network and attach it to the product posting in order share the photo of the coupon with everyone following this product or following you. If you take a good enough picture of the coupon, the end user might even be able to use at the checkout scanner - hold that camera steady! And hopefully the store you are at has an optical scanner.
With this approach to coupons in OfferDrop, we made coupon sharing very open and flexible. People can share just about any kind of coupon offers they find and share them with their friends and followers. How you redeem the coupon can still be a trick, but we will get there one day.
Give OfferDrop a spin and try the coupon sharing feature. If you are a coupon hunter this is a nice way to share what you find with others and let others benefit from your coupon hunting skills.
http://www.offerdrop.com
Monday, January 23, 2012
Leveraging NoSQL Database Scalability
I am excited about announcing support for MongoDB in the OfferDrop cloud. We expect great things from MongoDB in order to drive scalability and performance of OfferDrop mobile and cloud services. Stay tuned for more details. We hope to discuss our adventures with MongoDB and porting from MySQL to NoSQL in the coming months.
I am also quite excited about the MongoDB 2.2 features coming out soon. They will make many of the things we need to power OfferDrop queries and data management possible. We are looking forward to taking advantage of the new aggregation framework. We are also keeping an eye on Amazon's new DynamoDB NoSQL service. Could prove useful especially considering the low cost of infrastructure maintenance.
Go Cloud Computing!
http://www.offerdrop.com
I am also quite excited about the MongoDB 2.2 features coming out soon. They will make many of the things we need to power OfferDrop queries and data management possible. We are looking forward to taking advantage of the new aggregation framework. We are also keeping an eye on Amazon's new DynamoDB NoSQL service. Could prove useful especially considering the low cost of infrastructure maintenance.
Go Cloud Computing!
http://www.offerdrop.com
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Mobile Shopping Dead or Alive?
Dead might be the wrong word. Actually, mobile and social shopping has yet to be born. Instead, the landscape is littered with a countless variety of mobile shopping apps, none of which are truly social at their center. You have a wide spectrum of apps out there. First you have the utility based apps that help you compare local products and prices with online stores or maybe manage a shopping list - things like that. Then you go to the other end of the spectrum with animated cartoon looking mobile shopping apps that need a user's manual to understand - but cool looking for sure. Some look like something from a Pokemon movie with graphics and characters bouncing and shaking around like an over designed 1990's website. And for the most part, their angle is to push some exclusive deal or offer on to you from some local or online merchant or try to get you to earn some kind of point rewards and win a trinket or two. Maybe I am being a bit harsh, but you be the judge.
None of these social shopping apps are anything close to being social. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but they are not truly social applications and that is what we are missing. Twitter, facebook and foursqare are true social platforms because they depend on the member community to generate the vast majority of their content. They rely on people and merchants to establish relationships between each other and the world around them. The more people that join the more powerful the app/network becomes for everyone (not just the service provider). The current crop of social shopping apps seem to have missed that memo. Instead they are more like a circus act trying to get you into the big top to watch a few fun attractions using some combination of gimmicks, barcode scanners and GPS features. But these kinds of apps will never get ingrained into the psyche and daily habits of people in same way as twitter, facebook, or foursquare. A different approach is needed.
Successful social apps become part of your regular activity and are largely driven by the behavior of the users themselves and the connections users make with each other and with their surroundings. This should be no different for local shopping. Pushing exclusive deals or getting the user to bounce around stores to earn points is a one-way street controlled by the service provider and not a social network. The consumer and local merchant are not empowered and social networks are all about empowering the end user to interact and contribute back to the network. The more people that join the stronger and more valuable the network becomes. And to be clear, what I mean by successful is not just the success of the start-up or online giant that delivers this service, but success for us means the consumer and local merchant are really benefiting and where the social shopping apps makes a difference in their lives from both a financial and quality of life perspective. Twitter has changed the way people behave and express themselves and for social shopping to be successful it needs to do the same. And this also applies for local merchants as well. They stand to benefit greatly from a truly social shopping network where they are not just offering cut throat deals that are not sustainable. Local merchants leveraging an open social shopping network can benefit from the visibility a social network can provide and that is currently only available to the highest advertising bidder. With an open social shopping community everyone benefits from the consumer to the local merchant (not to mention the service provider).
Consider Wikipedia as an example. Wikipedia would be just another online static encyclopedia if not for the vibrant community of contributors and the way Wikipedia empowers users to interact and contribute. Social shopping, for it to really take off and make a lasting impact in people's lives, needs to leverage the consumer and local merchant in a way that empowers them to share and interact with other fellow shoppers, merchants and with their community as a whole.
At OfferDrop, we strongly believe in this model and are passionate about making this type of open social shopping experience available to the consumer and local merchant. Call us rebels or call us crazy, but we plan to shake things up. We might get stepped on and trampled on along the way, but we strongly believe in what we are doing and hope you will join us.
Version 1.3 of OfferDrop is currently available in the Apple store. We are also feverishly working on an Android version and have many new features coming out in version 2.0 that will keep pushing the envelope. Please check out our website and download our app.
http://www.offerdrop.com
None of these social shopping apps are anything close to being social. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but they are not truly social applications and that is what we are missing. Twitter, facebook and foursqare are true social platforms because they depend on the member community to generate the vast majority of their content. They rely on people and merchants to establish relationships between each other and the world around them. The more people that join the more powerful the app/network becomes for everyone (not just the service provider). The current crop of social shopping apps seem to have missed that memo. Instead they are more like a circus act trying to get you into the big top to watch a few fun attractions using some combination of gimmicks, barcode scanners and GPS features. But these kinds of apps will never get ingrained into the psyche and daily habits of people in same way as twitter, facebook, or foursquare. A different approach is needed.
Successful social apps become part of your regular activity and are largely driven by the behavior of the users themselves and the connections users make with each other and with their surroundings. This should be no different for local shopping. Pushing exclusive deals or getting the user to bounce around stores to earn points is a one-way street controlled by the service provider and not a social network. The consumer and local merchant are not empowered and social networks are all about empowering the end user to interact and contribute back to the network. The more people that join the stronger and more valuable the network becomes. And to be clear, what I mean by successful is not just the success of the start-up or online giant that delivers this service, but success for us means the consumer and local merchant are really benefiting and where the social shopping apps makes a difference in their lives from both a financial and quality of life perspective. Twitter has changed the way people behave and express themselves and for social shopping to be successful it needs to do the same. And this also applies for local merchants as well. They stand to benefit greatly from a truly social shopping network where they are not just offering cut throat deals that are not sustainable. Local merchants leveraging an open social shopping network can benefit from the visibility a social network can provide and that is currently only available to the highest advertising bidder. With an open social shopping community everyone benefits from the consumer to the local merchant (not to mention the service provider).
Consider Wikipedia as an example. Wikipedia would be just another online static encyclopedia if not for the vibrant community of contributors and the way Wikipedia empowers users to interact and contribute. Social shopping, for it to really take off and make a lasting impact in people's lives, needs to leverage the consumer and local merchant in a way that empowers them to share and interact with other fellow shoppers, merchants and with their community as a whole.
At OfferDrop, we strongly believe in this model and are passionate about making this type of open social shopping experience available to the consumer and local merchant. Call us rebels or call us crazy, but we plan to shake things up. We might get stepped on and trampled on along the way, but we strongly believe in what we are doing and hope you will join us.
Version 1.3 of OfferDrop is currently available in the Apple store. We are also feverishly working on an Android version and have many new features coming out in version 2.0 that will keep pushing the envelope. Please check out our website and download our app.
http://www.offerdrop.com
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Social Shopping Predictions for 2012
Social applications are still exploding in every corner of business and the consumer space. There are dozens if not hundreds of mobile apps that will help you eat better, meet people and just about anything else you can think of. Social platforms like Facebook, Twitter and FourSquare are leading the charge and giving consumers the communication vehicle to connect and share and even in some case learn something or benefit financially.
Social apps geared specially toward shopping are also quite plentiful. You can find apps to help you with everything from finding deals, comparing prices and hunting down coupons. But if you look at the majority of the apps out there, non really bring a true social shopping capability to the table in the sense that they are letting users learn and share with each other when it comes to shopping. What does that mean? It means non of the apps out there are the really equivalent of say Twitter or Facebook when it comes to connecting people and business in an open communication sense. Sure, there are apps that let you find deals and that will push coupons and offers from nearby businesses, but these are all closed ecosystems where it is a one way stream from the network or business to the social end user. But non are truly social in the sense that they are based on a social community dynamic to discover and share the best products and prices nearby. The major social players have all tried to dip their toe into local shopping by letting consumers connect with businesses but they are typically a one way street where the business is driving the interaction by presenting users with deals or offers. The social end user is more of a passive observer and at the mercy of what is presented to them. There is essentially no organic information being created by the social community.
What is fundamentally missing is the ability to empower shoppers to work together and function as a social community that can share and communicate what is going on in their local area when it comes to products and deals nearby. It is fine to receive Groupon type deals and offers from a local business, but you want this complimented with deals users are also discovering and sharing with each other. The consumer needs to be empowered to be an active contributing member in the shopping experience and not just passively sitting by getting trinkets thrown at them when they scan something or make a post. What is needed is a truly vibrant social shopping community that is on equal footing with local businesses when it comes to offering, discovering and sharing deals.
Enter into the picture OfferDrop. Our goal at OfferDrop is to make a platform that will empower consumers along with local businesses to reach each other using the ever evolving social medium. We predict 2012 will be the year when social shopping truly becomes socially driven. We will do all we can at OfferDrop to empower the consumer and empower local businesses to connect and share on an open platform and in an integrated fashion with the other popular social apps we all love to use every day.
Stay tuned for exciting things from OfferDrop in 2012. Shopping just got social and fun!
http://www.offerdrop.com
Social apps geared specially toward shopping are also quite plentiful. You can find apps to help you with everything from finding deals, comparing prices and hunting down coupons. But if you look at the majority of the apps out there, non really bring a true social shopping capability to the table in the sense that they are letting users learn and share with each other when it comes to shopping. What does that mean? It means non of the apps out there are the really equivalent of say Twitter or Facebook when it comes to connecting people and business in an open communication sense. Sure, there are apps that let you find deals and that will push coupons and offers from nearby businesses, but these are all closed ecosystems where it is a one way stream from the network or business to the social end user. But non are truly social in the sense that they are based on a social community dynamic to discover and share the best products and prices nearby. The major social players have all tried to dip their toe into local shopping by letting consumers connect with businesses but they are typically a one way street where the business is driving the interaction by presenting users with deals or offers. The social end user is more of a passive observer and at the mercy of what is presented to them. There is essentially no organic information being created by the social community.
What is fundamentally missing is the ability to empower shoppers to work together and function as a social community that can share and communicate what is going on in their local area when it comes to products and deals nearby. It is fine to receive Groupon type deals and offers from a local business, but you want this complimented with deals users are also discovering and sharing with each other. The consumer needs to be empowered to be an active contributing member in the shopping experience and not just passively sitting by getting trinkets thrown at them when they scan something or make a post. What is needed is a truly vibrant social shopping community that is on equal footing with local businesses when it comes to offering, discovering and sharing deals.
Enter into the picture OfferDrop. Our goal at OfferDrop is to make a platform that will empower consumers along with local businesses to reach each other using the ever evolving social medium. We predict 2012 will be the year when social shopping truly becomes socially driven. We will do all we can at OfferDrop to empower the consumer and empower local businesses to connect and share on an open platform and in an integrated fashion with the other popular social apps we all love to use every day.
Stay tuned for exciting things from OfferDrop in 2012. Shopping just got social and fun!
http://www.offerdrop.com
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