ShopAlert is a mobile service that sends you messages when you’re close to a retailer that you have signed up for. It’s done by using what they call a “geo-fence” that can detect where you are up to a radius of several miles. Is this something that we really need? I can’t imagine myself driving around aimlessly looking at my cell phone (which the picture so inappropriately displays) waiting for amazing coupons to pop up on my phone. Or say if I was driving for a purpose, chances are I’m not going to be late for my date because I had to get that 30% off on Mini-Wheats.
Another thought I’d like to bring up is will this be the snowflake that brings us a snowball effect of endless promotions? A few weeks ago in class we touched upon the idea that maybe one day we’ll be getting ads right on our phone. I can’t remember the whole discussion, but I do recall it not having a positive reaction. Currently the AT&T ShopAlert is only in a small selection of cities in the US and you have to sign up to receive these messages. But what if in a couple years this grows so big it’ll be seen as common and they can eliminate the signing-up stage altogether?
Be this good, bad or just inevitable, all I ask is that they don’t use any urgency tactics. Imagine the rise in U-turn caused car accidents because “There’s only 3 left! Hurry and get your savings now!”
