Snippet: Maybe This Will Help Passbook ☇

Claire Cain Miller for The New York Times on the RetailMeNot app:

The app uses geo-fencing, which takes a cellphone’s location data to send alerts when someone walks across a virtual perimeter. The notifications appear even if the app is not open. People show cashiers the coupons on their phones.

An average RetailMeNot user will see 38 coupons from 25 stores upon stepping near a mall, said John Faith, senior vice president of mobile at WhaleShark Media. The app also lets people search for coupons by store and save them and will use Apple Maps and Passbook to find nearby shops and store coupons.

I’m all for merchants embracing new technology, especially if it’s well-designed or integrates with things I use already (like Passbook). I just hope that the temptation of tracking users or harvesting data doesn’t get the best of them and turn folks off.