With all the data that supermarkets can now collect from customers through loyalty programs, coupons touting savings can be personalized and delivered through mobile devices, according to a study by marketing professor Jeffrey Inman from the Katz business school at the University of Pittsburgh, reported Forbes.
Inman took one sample of people and divided them into two groups: 1) those getting a coupon for a product located close to the path they would normally travel, 2) those getting a coupon for a product further off that path, forcing them to cover more ground in the store. Result: those forced off the beaten path spent $21 more than they had planned to, while those sticking closer to their routine spent $13 more than planned, a 61 percent difference.
With the help of modern store coupons deliverable by smart phone and RFID tags latched on to customer backpacks and clothing to track their movement through the store, Inman boiled it all down to the nitty-gritty details.
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