Although mobile apps have grown in popularity recently, it seems as though they may not be the way to go in Mobile. A new article by AdWeek reports that text is turning out to be a much more effective route in the world of mobile marketing. According to the article, text is more effective because of its reach and usage. Although mobile apps are popping up everywhere, their reach and usability is limited for the majority of cell phone owners. Here are some great statistics from the article:

•  Only 18% of cell phone owners actually owns a Smartphone
• A study by Flurry (as reported by AdWeek) showed that only 1/4 of iPhone apps are used 90 days after they are downloaded
• Apple has the majority of all app downloads with 25% but the iPhone only represents 4% of the entire mobile market

These are pretty daunting statistics if you are looking for a high ROI and banking on a mobile app for that. On the other hand, text provides a simple way to reach out to and stay top of mind with consumers. The part of the article that really sinks in with Greenbean is, "Your text message and branding sits there right among conversations with family and friends. With this kind of cut through, a targeted text message, such as a relevant mobile coupon, can generate consumer interest quickly." Text's universality and ability to reach a wide audience at a small cost makes it a wise investment for marketers.

Check out the full article here.

We just put up some great new Beans from 4 new businesses that we thought you should check out.

Denny's (yes, the classic American diner) is offering 3 Beans at one of their Baltimore locations. Head over to the Denny's in Nottingham (off of Belair road) and get a free breakfast, free lunch or free dinner!

TransGap is a corporate sedan service serving the Washington D.C./Baltimore metropolitan area. They are offering an awesome 25% off Bean. Great deal if you ask us!

The Waterfront Hotel is a local favorite here in Fells Point. Great food, great bar and nightly entertainment. They have a 10% off Bean, a free desert Bean and a half off any appetizer Bean. 

 Hopkins Plaza Deli is a delicious deli located in the PNC Bank Building in Baltimore. They are there for all of your breakfast & lunch needs so make sure to get there early. Get all 3 of their Beans here.

Check Greenbean soon for more new and exciting Beans!

 It is no surprise to us to hear this news, but MediaPost reports that the results of a Coupons.com survey, and a separate Newspaper Association of America survey, show that digital coupon use is on the rise. This could be bad news for the traditional printed newspaper inserts as it seems that the more people gravitate to digital the more they stray from the newspaper inserts. Coupons.com reported that its digital business increased 170% in 2009 from 2008. Not only does it seem that the number of digital coupon users is growing, but it seems that the number of people who use digital coupons exclusively is increasing just as rapidly. Of the 45 million consumers that used digital coupons in 2009, 13.1 million are exclusive digital coupon users. Check out the good news (no pun intended) here.

We have some good news (well for us at least) and some bad news (for retailers). Good news is a recent study by Motorola on the 2009 holiday shopping season (as reported by Markteing Vox) shows that consumers were highly interested in coupons. Of those surveyed, 39% of consumers said they were willing to abandon their potential purchases this holiday season when they could not obtain coupons or discounts. The obvious down side of this, for the retailers at least, is that they lost money and customers by not offering coupons and discounts this past holiday season. Although this might seem like bad news for retailers we like to think of it as a wake up call. Coupons, especially mobile coupons, are big right now and they are only going to get bigger in the coming months. If the results of this study are any indication of the behavior of consumers in the future, than retailers better get on the mobile coupon bandwagon soon before they begin to lose out.

Check out the full article by Marketing Vox here.

As we near the end of 2009 the ad experts are all pulling out their crystal balls to predict what the big trends of 2010 will be. One ad expert's predictions that we find to be particularly insightful (more so than anything Ms. Cleo could tell you) is Ad Age. Amongst Ad Age's top trends in digital marketing in 2010 is the increasing popularity of mobile as an advertising platform. This year alone $1.7 billion was spent on mobile marketing and it is predicted that this number will increase to $2.16 billion in 2010. The increase in mobile ad spend will most likely take money away from what would have been spent on online advertising.

Ad spend on mobile marketing will go up because of the increasing popularity and effectiveness of smartphones along with mobile's,  "ability to target consumers based on site, phone model, demographics and location." Not to mention the fact that mobile allows advertisers to get their message directly in their consumers hand's using a device that is always with them.

You can check out the full article on Advertising Age here.

So what does this all mean for Greenbean? Well, we think that a portion of the $2.16 billion that will be spent on mobile marketing in 2010 will come from mobile couponing. Just look at how much it has grown in popularity in the past year. The fast food giant Wendy's recently released the news that they will be trying out a text message coupon campaign in the near future. With an increase in advertising dollars it looks like 2010 will be a great year for mobile.

No longer influenced by overly chipper, sing-song, holiday commercials infused with fake snow and fake people dancing to a re-mixed version of  "Deck the Halls"? Well, you are not alone. According to a recent survey by Big Research (as reported by AdAge) these types of holiday commercials do not drive consumers to retailers as successfully as they once did.

Check out the full article here.

So if cheesy commercials don't drive hoards of people to the mall, than what does? Coupons! Yeah-grandma doesn't seem so senile after all, huh? Sitting there for hours with the Sunday paper clip, clip, clipping away.

Forty-five percent of the people surveyed said that coupons were the #1 influencer in where they chose to shop this year.

And if grandma's hands are tired from cutting through the funny pages all Sunday afternoon, why not get her a cell phone and send her on over to Greenbean.com. All she has to do is select the coupon she wants and click submit, and it will be sent to her cell phone as a simple text message. Grandma could be so cool.

Take advantage of all of the great coupons, deals and discounts over at Greenbean.com this holiday season.

As reported by AdAge.com, Microsoft recently released a study on the effect of mobile ads on sales. The study found that mobile ads are most effective for items that have a shorter purchase life cycle like entertainment goods. It also found that mobile couponing will help to increase sales as 62% of those surveyed said they were more likely to shop at a retailer that offered incentives.

Check out the full article here.

According to a recent survey by consulting firm Deloitte, mobile phones, and other digital mediums, will play a big role in consumer's shopping experience this holiday season. One in five consumers (19% of those surveyed) will use their mobile phone to assist them with their holiday shopping. Of those one in five consumers that will use their mobile phone to assist in their holiday shopping, 32% will use it to get discounts and coupons. Looks like digital might be replacing Santa this year.

Check out this survey on consumer's Holiday Shopping habits this year.

A report released by Juniper Research yesterday predicts that by 2014 mobile coupon redemption value will reach around $6 billion globally. 

Howard Wilcox, Senior Analyst at Juniper Research and lead report author, had some promising words about the use of mobile coupons as a marketing tool. Wilcox said, "Marketers can use the mobile device as the ultimate personal marketing channel. It is almost permanently switched on and physically with the consumer. This makes a great opportunity for brands and marketing agencies to access clients immediately, driving footfall and encouraging an instant decision." 

Get the full report here