In the last few months there has been a lot of buzz surrounding coupon services like Groupon and Living Social. We recently reported that even Google and Facebook are beginning to move into the digital-coupon territory. And, earlier this month we heard from the New York Times, just how valuable companies like Groupon were, estimating that Groupon’s IPO could be valued at $15 billion.
Clip Mobile, a Toronto-based startup hopes to compete with the giants by focusing on the local market in Canada and by working closely with merchants to offer Canadians great deals. Clip Mobile’s service is a cross-platform digital-coupon app that gives Canadians nearby deals based on their current location. Sounds cool, eh?
Clip Mobile works hand in hand with merchants so its users shouldn’t receive any hassles at the check-out because this startup is literally going door to door looking for offers to add to its app.
Its size is a huge win for merchants that are just entering this new space, and as David Offierski (the founder) told the Vancouver Sun, being small has its benefits “Certainly being small and being able to pivot in a space that is evolving very very rapidly … not being bureaucratic, being nimble being able to see maybe even to make decisions based on gut inference and sheer market observation as opposed to hiring a bunch of consultants and do market research, that’s a big opportunity for us”.
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Within the app, users can tweak the proximity of the offers (2 to 100km) and view the digital-coupons both on a map and in list form. It’s also a paper-less service and doesn’t require users to print coupons, the offers simply contain a code that the cashier records to redeem.
The idea itself is fantastic and it could potentially bring a great deal of value to Canadian consumers. If you were looking for a nearby restaurant for example, you could quickly choose a place based on great offers like “2 for 1 beers” or “free appetizers”.
Due to its sole focus on local markets, Canadians might even choose it over one of its American competitors– if it’s able to grow beyond just a few cities. Clip Mobile currently has only 11,000 members and has now added over 80 merchants in Vancouver, however as it stands now, many Canadians won’t find it useful until it’s able build more partnerships across the country. The app is free and is available on BlackBerry, iPhone and Android.
Everybody who downloads or opens Clip at any given time is doing so because it does a very specific task for them, it gives them local offers based on their proximity . whereas the other guys are not focused on this functionality. They’re focused on other things, whether it be social, whether it be gaming or something like user-generated reviews.” David Offierski the founder of Clip Mobile told the Vancouver Sun.
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