Coupout - A Restaurant Coupon System for Smart Phones

摘要

There are about one million restaurants in the US alone and each one needs to market their services. Coupons are a tried and true method for bringing in consumers, but they have historically low redemption rates. We propose to design and implement a coupon management system that leverage the Internet and mobile technology. It can cater to both restaurant owners and consumers. The system can serve as a mean for restaurant owners to publish coupons, as well as a portal for consumers to find restaurant deals. It is designed to be economical, useful, and accessible to both types of users, allowing restaurants to advertise to smartphone users, and eliminating the traditional coupon clipping and printing. This paper presents the design of the system, the results of the first prototype, and a comparison to similar products in the market.