FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is a Mobile Coupon

Mobile coupons are coupons that a consumer can access using a phone with internet access, iPhone, Android, or via Text Messaging. Consumers can get coupons on their mobile phones and then redeem them at participating businesses, by presenting them to the cashier or waitress. If a Merchant chooses they can create coupons using our secure coupon codes (MC Secure™) and then either integrate the codes into the POS system; use our Authentication Product (MC Authenticate™); or use our MobileCoupons.com self-service kiosks (MC Kiosk™). These Mobile Coupons services authenticate unique/random coupon codes in real-time eliminating consumer and cashier coupon fraud.

How can I start using MobileCoupons.com?

You simply need to create an account online at our website MobileCoupons.com. In less than 5 minutes you can create an account and publish your first coupon. You can create either a standard coupon (same coupon code all consumers) which is free for you to use, or you can utilize our premium services to create secure coupons (MC Secure™)and incorporate our self-service kiosks, with MC Kiosk™.

What is Coupon Fraud?

Coupon fraud is a serious problem for businesses and can be perpetrated by both consumers and cashiers.

Consumer coupon fraud is unauthorized copying, misuse, or counterfeiting of coupons. According to Coupon Information Corporation (CIC) Coupon misrepresentation is estimated to cost businesses approximately $400 million annually.

Cashier coupon fraud typically happens during a cash transaction whereby the cashier charges the consumer full price and applies their own coupon code to the transaction pocketing the coupon value in cash. It is estimated that hundreds of millions of dollars are lost each year to cashier coupon fraud.

I don't want to go through expensive point of sale integration; can MobileCoupons.com still address coupon fraud?

MobileCoupons.com can eliminate both consumer and cashier fraud without integration to point of sale systems which can be costly. MobileCoupons.com has MC Secure™ coupons, a premium service offering that allows you to create unique/random codes that will be used with your coupon campaign.

Combined with MC Kiosk™, MobileCoupons.com self-service touch screen kiosk, coupon codes are authenticated in real-time, ensuring onetime use of coupon codes. The MC Kiosk system also has an attached coupon printer, which prints the authenticated coupon receipt out to be used at the point-of-sale during checkout. MobileCoupons.com gives you the benefit of having the paper coupon receipt in your cash drawer for reconciliation while providing real-time authentication of unique codes, eliminating cashier and consumer fraud.

If you do not desire to have the benefits of the Kiosk, MC Secure coupons can be used in conjunction with your POS wherein MC's unique/random codes are loaded into and managed by your POS system or by using the MC Authenticate product.

What is MC Kiosk™?

The MC Kiosk™ solution provides a valuable retail tool by allowing merchants to create offers with controlled use eliminating the need for cashiers to handle the consumer's mobile phone at checkout. The kiosk leverages MC Secure™ which addresses cashier fraud by providing unique/ random codes with are authenticated in real-time. The system tracks coupon use giving merchants an effective audit tool. The kiosk provides an end-to-end self-service coupon redemption ecosystem that validates unique codes to ensure they are redeemable. The kiosk then prints out an authorized coupon with barcode that the customer takes to cashier and uses at time of sale.

The kiosk allows you to accept mobile coupons without changing the way you currently handle paper coupons saving your company significant expense by eliminating POS integration and training cost.

How does a consumer use a coupon from MobileCoupons.com?

Users can find your coupons on a mobile phone with internet access by going to m.mobilecoupons.com, and on their iPhone, or Android device. They can access MobileCoupons.com on the internet and send coupons to their phone. They can also opt-in for coupon alerts via MC SMS™. This allows all mobile users to have access to your coupons, not just Smartphone owners. When they find a deal and want to use it they just show their mobile phone with the coupon to the cashier or waitress. If you have our self-service touch-screen kiosk, via MC Kiosk™, the consumer simply scans the coupon from their mobile phone (or enters the code manually if from an SMS) using the built in kiosk scanner and we authenticate the unique/random coupon code in real-time to ensure that it is redeemable. An authenticated coupon receipt is then printed for the consumer to provide to the cashier at checkout. This eliminates coupon fraud and provides onetime use codes controlling use.

How do I get my coupons on MobileCoupons.com?

You simply need to create an account online at our website MobileCoupons.com. Our MC Creator™ coupon generator walks you thru the steps you need to do to create a coupon. The WYSIWYG coupon creator shows you in real-time what the coupon will look like as you are building it. We allow you to add text, graphics, barcodes, coupon start and stop times, categories and keywords. You have the option of creating standard coupons (free) where all consumers get the same coupon code, or secure coupons (MC Secure™) where you can have us generate unique/random codes or import your own, and determine the frequency of use allowed. Either way, in less than 5 minutes you can create an account and publish your first coupon.

How do I get my coupons off of MobileCoupons.com?

When you create a coupon you can define when the coupons start and expire. We allow you to narrow this window down to days and even time within 15 minutes. When the coupon hits its expiration date it will no longer be displayed to consumers. You do not need to remember to manually stop a coupon. We also allow you to manually terminate a coupon before the expiration date which means it is pulled from the system and will not be shown again.

Will I get notified if one of my coupons is about to expire?

Yes, we send an automated email thirty-six hours in advance of a coupon expiring to help merchants stay on top of their promotions.

What is the difference between an "on-site offer" and an "in-store offer"?

In-store offers are where the customer comes to your location such as a restaurant or dry cleaners and an on-site offer would be used by plumbers, roofers, and companies that would come to your house or business to do the work or provide the service. When a merchant sets up an on-site offer they determine the radius in miles that they are willing to come to do the work. When a user searches for that kind of service the merchant will only come up in the search results if they are within that radius.

Why do you do E-mail and Phone Verification?

One of our goals is to make sure that the coupons in the system are legitimate and that fake coupons are not being distributed. We accomplish this by validating the email address, the phone number and by using a moderation system for every coupon being approved by a real person. After a coupon is submitted for publication it is usually published with the hour but could take up to 24 hours.

I went through the E-mail verification process but I did not get an E-mail response. The verification e-mail has probably gotten stuck in a spam filter somewhere. You may also want to check any "junk" mail folders. If you do not receive the e-mail within 10 minutes, e-mail us at mc-merchant-support@mobilecoupons.com with a quick note about what happened and we will most likely be able to validate it manually in our system and get you going in no time at all.

How does the phone validation work?

When you are prompted to validate your phone number simply follow the instructions on the screen. Use a phone that is near your computer so you can enter the pin number when you get the automated call. When you answer the call, make sure you say something. If you have problems with the phone validation, please send an email to mc-merchant-support@mobilecoupons.com with a quick note about what happened. In most cases we will be able to validate it manually in our system and have you creating coupons very quickly.

How does the Email validation work?

When you are prompted to validate your email simply follow the instruction on the screen. An automated email will be sent to you with instructions to click on a link in the email. Click on the validate button and you are set. If you have problems with the email validation, please send an email to mc-merchant-support@mobilecoupons.com with a quick note about what happened. In most cases we will be able to validate it manually in our system and have you creating coupons very quickly.

How much does MobileCoupons.com cost?

You can create a standard coupon on MobileCoupons.com for free. We also offer premium services like secure coupons (MC Secure™), our self-service touch screen kiosk (MC Kiosk™) that authenticates coupon codes in real-time and prints out an authenticated coupon receipt, merchant controlled outbound text-messaging marketing of your coupons (MC SMS™), and our automated coupon tool that creates coupons based on back-office rules (MC Real-Time™). Our premium services are optional and will have a separate agreement if you choose to take advantage of any of them.

What devices does MobileCoupons.com work on?

When you are prompted to validate your email simply follow the instruction on the screen. An automated email will be sent to you with instructions to click on a link in the email. Click on the validate button and you are set. If you have problems with the email validation, please send an email to mc-merchant-support@mobilecoupons.com with a quick note about what happened. In most cases we will be able to validate it manually in our system and have you creating coupons very quickly.

I own a business with multiple locations; can I create different offers for each location?

Yes, we allow you to create a coupon and select which location or locations that the coupon will be published for. During the coupon creation process you have the opportunity to enter as many locations as you like and these locations are stored in the database for you to use when you create additional coupons.

Who should I contact if I have a problem using MobileCoupons.com?

If you have any problems using MobileCoupons.com please go to the link below and send an email to the appropriate email link listed on that page. We will have someone from our support staff back to you as quickly as possible. Our responses could be as little as 5 minutes but could take up to 24 hours.

Contact Us

Does MobileCoupons.com work with Barcode Scanners?

Yes with certain scanners. There are multiple types of barcode scanners, Optical, Imager and Laser. Most Optical and imager scanners will scan barcodes on MobileCoupons.com coupons. Laser scanners will not. If you want to use the 2-D barcodes you will need a scanner that can decode these types of barcodes. Feel free to contact MobileCoupons.com if you need assistance with selecting a scanner that will work for your solution. Our parent company Raco Industries has over 20 years of experience in the barcode and data collection industry.

What type of barcodes do you support?

We currently support Upc-A, Code39, Code128 and the 2D codes QRCode, Aztec code and DataMatrix.

Can I automatically generate coupons based on inventory levels?

Yes, we have an API called MC Real-Time™ that allows you to create back office rules that interfaces directly into MobileCoupons.com platform generating coupons in real-time. Coupons can be generated, published or removed directly from your own business rules. Create coupons on the fly based on inventory levels, product expiration dates or anything else that fits your business needs. This is the ultimate tool to reduce overstock inventory and reduce shrink.

Can I offer different types of discounts?

With our flexible coupon creator you can choose the kind of deal you want to promote. Use a flat-dollar amount, a percentage-off discount, free gift or whatever works for your business; it's completely up to you.

Can I control the start and expiration date for my coupons?

MobileCoupons.com allows you to set the date range and the time for when your coupons will be available on the system. We automatically put the coupons in and take them out based on what you select when you build the coupons.

How many different coupons can I create?

With standard coupons we currently allow Merchants to publish up to 10 different coupons. If you need more please contact us. Each coupon can be associated with multiple locations that may be different from other coupons.

Can I offer a discount on a particular product or does it have to be a coupon for anything in my store?

You can create a coupon to be good only for a specific item or you can do any kind of promotion that works with your business. All we ask is that you have a real deal reflected in your coupons and not just advertising. In most cases we will reject coupons that do not offer a specific promotion.

How are the "What's Hot" coupons determined?

Consumers determine who makes it to our "What's Hot" coupon list. The "What's Hot" deals are determined by an algorithm based on coupons clicks, views, etc. So simply put, it's the most popular deals based on consumer activity.

How can I get more users for my coupons? Do you have an SMS Marketing Tool?

We have a vanity keyword for text messaging campaigns that we can assign to your business that you can promote in all your direct marketing correspondence called MC SMS™ (premium service). Text message marketing has been proven to consistently outperform all other marketing media, with response rates as high as 70%. Vanity short codes like MC411 (62411) are easy to remember and have 50% greater response rates. To get more customers to use your coupons start spreading the word. Promote your own vanity keyword on your packaging, mail labels, email newsletters and advertising, everything from in-store posters to billboards.