A recent Jupiter research study has found that a growing number of consumers (around 30%) are interested in receiving mobile coupons. In spite of this, adoption remains low (around 1%).

Mobile coupons is clearly one of the big opportunities for mobile advertising, as it allows for very tight targeting and tracking, and lets an advertiser “close the loop” all the way from advertising through to purchase.

“Mobile coupons are gaining traction among advertisers, and are no longer just a niche tactic, rather they are moving toward the mainstream to more common use,” explained Neil Strother, analyst with JupiterResearch and lead author of the report. “There are definite benefits to using mobile coupons.”

The benefits cited by the author include

• real-time offers,
• geo-targeting,
• personalization,
• time-of-day redemption tracking,
• triggering impulse purchases, and
• a lower cost of delivery.

“But while there is tremendous untapped potential, there are still barriers that exist,” Strother concluded.

The main problem facing mobile coupons is the redemption methods. There are very few retailers who are equipped with mobile coupon readers. This means that they need to either enter the code manually, match it with a customer’s loyalty card number, or write it down on a piece of paper.

“Mobile coupons will offer flexibility and the ability to target prospective consumers most likely to respond to an offer,” said David Schatsky, President of JupiterResearch. “Just how effective a tactic this is will be determined by the level of measurement. Because this technology is still evolving, it represents a solid opportunity to establish meaningful methods of measurement.”

See the full release here.