Mobile for Retail: Going Mobile

J.C. Penney is one retailer interested in mobile coupons. Last fall, in an effort to retain existing customers, build brand awareness and acquire new customers, the cross-channel retailer began testing a service whereby consumers could download and carry coupons on their mobile phones to be scanned directly from the phones' screens at registers. Scanners able to read these 2-D barcode coupons were deployed at point-of-sale registers in 16 J.C. Penney stores in the Houston metro area.