AT&T is jumping on the deals bandwagon with a feature dubbed ShopAlerts, which will provide customers with location-based alerts regarding nearby discounts.
AT&T is teaming up with Placecast for ShopAlerts, which will first be available for select group in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco who opt-in to receive the alerts.
Companies signing on for ShopAlerts include HP, Kmart, JetBlue, SC Johnson, Kibbles 'n Bits, Nature's Recipe, and the National Milk Mustache "got milk?" Campaign (nearby milk discounts?)
"We expect to add more brands over the coming months as the program grows," Placecast said in a blog post. "Our partnership combines the Placecast technology platform with the location-based experience we've gained from both our trial and commercial programs with AT&T's customer base, its network, and AT&T's strong relationships with brands and agencies."
AT&T said it will offer rewards and coupons via a "geo-fence," a virtual-perimeter around a retail location, event, or any geographic area. Customers get alerts when they are inside this geo-fence. The texts will also include info like weather, traffic, and local shopping area details.
Customers who want to opt-in can visit att.com/shopalerts or text the word "JOIN" to 28833257. AT&T said there is no charge for ShopAlerts, though text and data rates apply. You can quit by replying to any alert with the words stop, quit, end, cancel, or unsubscribe. AT&T said users will not receive more than four messages per week.
Facebook unveiled unveiled its Deals feature in November. That same month, Yahoo launched Yahoo Local Offers, a local search app available on the Yahoo search results page. Google made a similar announcement, adding local product search results to the desktop with partners like Williams-Sonoma, Office Depot, and Guitar Center.