Coupolino launches app to support retailers
Retail is one of the industries that has been hit hard by the COVID-19 measures. Online retail is also making business even more difficult for them. To help, the Zurich-based startup Coupolino has launched the «Scount» app, which brings top deals from nearby retailers to users’ phones and uses AR to scan the surroundings for deals.
From lunch at the pub around the corner to a tooth bleaching at the dentist in the next street over to a bike at the sports store two villages away - the app Scount sends deals in the vicinity directly to the cell phone. The offers can be filtered according to individual interests, such as beauty & spa, fashion or food & drinks. The offers can then be loaded into the wallet and redeemed either immediately or later.
Off-peak discounts
The app is expected to be a great addition to the retail industry, according to a statement. "When we developed it, we thought about how we could use the technologies that otherwise lure customers away from the stores to online shopping, not as competition, but to the advantage of stationary retail," explains Coupolino CEO Philipp Steiner. The Zurich-based startup now has 15 employees and is represented by Scount in Zurich, Winterthur and Baden. "The goal is to be present in all major Swiss cities and their surrounding areas by the end of the year," says Philipp Steiner.
Retailers will not only benefit from Scount by attracting new customers to their stores. Through statistics, retailers can also find out which offers have been viewed, clicked on, and ultimately redeemed the most, which means that strategies can be adjusted accordingly. In addition, CEO Steiner says the prices are such that even smaller stores can afford them. "We don't have a sales commission."
Scount offers retailers the opportunity to respond very quickly and directly to different situations, which is not the case with other discount offers - for example in print media. For example, customers can be lured into the store with limited-time offers at off-peak hours. Or perishable goods can be discounted shortly before closing time. This is an advantage for customers, retailers and the environment.
