The days of clipping coupons and carrying around customer loyalty cards may soon be over.

 

Some businesses, such as some Planet Smoothie locations, are ditching the paper stuff and turning to mobile text messaging to get the word out about promotions and discounts.

 

The smoothie shops in Casselberry on Howell Branch Road and in Oviedo on State Road 434 are two of four Orlando-area locations testing out a mobile marketing system, which instructs customers to input their mobile phone numbers into a small hand-held machine. 

 

This logs their visits — the 11th visit warrants a free smoothie – eliminating the need to tote a loyalty card. They also have the option to enroll in a program to receive coupons and discounts via text message.

 

Coupons include a buy-one-get-one-free offer and a $2-off offer. Planet Smoothie will also send out information, such as a reminder of its monthly 99-cent-smoothie day. But it typically doesn't send more than one or two messages per week, Oviedo owner Adam Bermudez said.

 

Jonathan Goodyear, president of PlumReward, the mobile marketing firm that supplied the shop's technology, said paper coupons are on their way out. Mobile marketing is more efficient and "green" for companies, eliminating paper and printing costs, and more convenient for consumers.

 

A watchdog organization regulates this industry, the Mobile Marketing Association, to make sure unwanted text messages don't slam phones like unwanted e-mails pour into a spam folder nowadays, he said. Per its rules, a company cannot send coupons without the customer's consent and a customer can cancel at any time.

 

According to PlumReward research, if a store sends out a one-day-only coupon, about 15 to 18 percent of the people who receive the message will come into the store that day. For a coupon that's valid for two or three days, the return boosts to 25 percent.

 

Oviedo resident Kaitlee Tate visited Planet Smoothie for the 10th time Monday, and she said she's excited to receive her free smoothie on her next visit. She loves the mobile marketing system.

 

"My favorite coupon is the buy-one-get-one-free," she said, skillfully punching her mobile number into the palm-sized machine.

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Planet Smoothie has two local shops offering a new cell-phone-based coupon system. To receive coupons on your phone, visit the Planet Smoothie on Howell Branch Road in Casselberry or on State Road 434 in Oviedo, or text "PSOVIEDO" or "PSHOWELL" to 50240.

Visit plumreward.com for more about the technology.