News America Marketing Launches SmartSource Xpress for iPhone
News America Marketing, a publisher of coupons in the U.S. and Canada, producing over 165 billion coupons annually, has launched an iPhone version of its free coupon application, SmartSource Xpress (SSX).
SmartSource Xpress, launched last year for iPad, delivers approximately $40 in savings at any given time on popular household brands such as Biz Stain Fighter, Blue Diamond, Pepperidge Farm, Pur water purification systems, Sunsweet, YoCrunch yogurt, and Kimberly-Clark products such as Cottonelle, Huggies, Kleenex, Kotex, Little Swimmers and Pull-Ups.
“SmartSource Xpress for iPhone is a great shopping app for consumers on the go,” said Chris Mixson, president, News America Marketing. “You can clip, shop and save on your favorite grocery products. It doesn’t get much better than coupons delivered right to the palm of your hand.”
With a tap of the iPhone’s screen, savings are sent directly to consumers’ registered shopper cards and automatically redeemed at checkout using Direct2Card (D2C) technology. The D2C retailer network is currently composed of over 3,300 stores across the country and is expected to expand significantly to new retailers and new areas in the coming year. The application has earned a five-star rating on the App Store.
The iPhone application has several new functionalities that differentiate it from the iPad version. Designed with convenience in mind, the app includes a carousel making it easier to view coupons and allows consumers to easily scan shopper cards during the registration process. Social media links also allow sharing of coupons with friends and family. Additionally, SmartSource Xpress for iPhone utilizes the built in GPS coupled with an opt-in feature that reminds them of the SmartSource Xpress coupons they have on their shopper card when they get within close proximity of their selected stores. The magazine-format viewing style, digital enhancements such as promotional and instructional videos, free product samples, recipes and other content remain identical to the iPad version.
While free-standing inserts remain the leading coupon distribution vehicle, representing nearly 90 percent of coupons distributed in 2012, digital couponing is becoming increasingly mainstream, with the number of retailer storefronts accepting paperless or digital coupons expected to grow 50 percent or more in 2013, according to News America Marketing.
“In addition to weekly newspaper savings, digital couponing provides additional savings opportunities,” added Mixson. “We expect SSX to resonate with a new demographic of shoppers, while allowing coupon veterans another way to cash in on even more savings, with the added convenience of having their coupons automatically loaded to their loyalty cards."