Free smartphone app alerts users of nearby deals

TARGETED advertising has always been the major goal of advertisers, who have to try damn hard these days to grab our attention. Amassing a target audience has lead to abuse in the past, such as the selling of personal information to third parties.

Some may argue that Google's recent private policy changes, whereby a user's Google accounts are all merged together to create one neat profile, is aimed to aid the cause of targeted advertising. If you watch a lot of skateboarding videos on YouTube and email friends about skateboarding via Gmail, you're likely to be targeted with skateboarding adverts.

Some may find this intrusive whereas others may view it as convenient. We all have that one friend who gets everything for so cheap; the one who makes use of Groupon and who always knows where to get a great special or discount on something. If you are that sort of person (or want to be) then there is a smartphone app just for you.

DialMedia Deals is a free smartphone app that has been developed in South Africa by SA company DialMedia. The smartphone application informs subscribers of relevant deals and specials available at major shopping centres around the country. Consumers are able to download the application for free to their smartphones, which runs silently in the background without negatively affecting battery performance.

Download DialMedia Deals Free Smartphone App

DialMedia spokesperson and co-owner Philip Bartholomew explains how the DialMedia Deals app works:

“On entering a mall, using geo-location, the application alerts the customer to nearby available specials which are tailored specifically to the user. Listings are categorised and ranked to easily find the best specials from their favorite stores and restaurants.”

DialMedia Deals allows consumers to always be up to speed on the latest specials, sales, discounts, restaurant specials, promotions and events. The service is regularly updated by store owners in shopping centres, who have the flexibility to change deal details on a daily basis.

“The DialMedia Deals app is already available on Apple’s App Store, BlackBerry’s App World, as well as on Android Marketplace. It may very well be the one app that can save consumers money without it costing them a cent”, says Bartholomew.

He added that the application does not monitor or record the location of the user; rather, the app is alerted when the user is in the vicinity of a relevant special. DialMedia state that no information is shared with outside parties (including DialMedia itself).

If you are the type of person who is willing to be paid to listen to adverts, then the rebate feature of the DialMedia Deals application will interest you. This allows you to save on mobile bills by getting paid rebates for hearing an audio ad before your call connects.

For more information, visit www.dialmedia.co.za

DAILY DEAL AGGREGATORS: What's the deal?

IN the beginning, there was the mighty Groupon, which gathered hundreds of followers worldwide. Now, a new era begins – the era of coupon aggregators.

Social Buying websites, also known as Group Buying, Coupon Buying or Daily Deal websites have been around for about two years. Groupon, which originated in the U.S., has since managed to go public and raise millions of dollars - proving to be a highly profitable venture.

The basic method behind these websites is that they offer high quantity sales in return for steep price reductions. By promising increased sales, merchants lower their products prices, thus making the product more appealing to online buyers. The websites profit by percentage from each product sold via their website.

Today there are around 500 daily deal websites worldwide, if not more. Following this trend, numerous aggregator websites have been popping up over the last few months in South Africa.

Many have questioned the sustainability of these websites - most claiming that the method itself is flawed and that the expected lifespan of such websites is limited. Unless something radical changes, most will agree that this method will not last forever. So the question remaining is what changes can be expected in this market, if any?

According to David.B - CEO of Dealafrica - one of South Africa's more popular Daily Deals Aggregator websites, one such change has already begun. According to him, thousands of South African Internet users who used to subscribe to one or two coupon websites are now subscribing directly to the daily deal aggregators themselves.

These websites do not sell products directly but rather collect the deals being offered on many various daily deal websites, and centralise them in one place. This arguably saves users the time and effort that would have been spent searching for deals on separate websites.

An additional advantage is the various filtering options aggregator websites offer, which allow users to only view the deals that interest them and opt to receive emails according to their predefined preferences.

Techcrunch, Computerworld, Cnbc.com, and cnet.com have already begun reviewing the subject claiming that the move from coupon websites to the aggregators was expected.

"People are constantly looking for faster and more convenient ways to get things done and daily deal aggregators are definitely one of those ways", one reporter claimed.

For a trend to succeed there has to be a financial motive for the people making it possible. Its value has already been picked up on by major online players. Google and Facebook are showing increased interest and Google made the first move by buying out the deal aggregator website The Dealmap.

A quick peruse through the Dealafrica website reveals it clean and elegant layout. It is very easy to navigate and they are very quick to respond to any queries. What makes Dealafrica shine is its efficiency, convenience and the ability to filter through various daily deals.

• Dealafrica is currently offering cash prizes to three randomly selected Facebook fans. The more subscribers there are, the bigger the pot will be for each winner. This competition ends on 21 November, so sign up now and spread the word to increase your chances of winning some cash every month!