Beta testers should reside in Minnesota.
If you'd like to participate in the SuddenDeals beta, please contact us at suddendeals@gmail.com for the SuddenDeals beta coming in May.
Feel free to forward this to your friends.
Thank you!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
The new site: SuddenDeals.com
We're finishing up the final touches to both the Shopper and Merchant user interfaces. We're adding the folloeing based on user feedback:
Simple "Help" menus that appear on rollover. These small tooltips explain thefunction of each area within the interface.
Simple "Help" menus that appear on rollover. These small tooltips explain thefunction of each area within the interface.
- Simple icons for navigation.
- Larger drop downs for selecting Location, Date,Time and others
- Segmented user panels for easy locating of important user items
- More whitespace.
- An online forum for discussion and interaction
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Sudden Deals works for all sorts of businesses.
SuddenDeals provides small business the opportunity to offer instant advertising and deals to customers using the latest text messaging technology and our proprietary "deal matching" software.
Here a just a few examples of how our customers use SuddenDeals.com
- A car wash, on a rainy day, sits empty without anyone wanting to wash their car because it'll get dirty the second the rain hits it. Send out an offer, for this day only, for 20% off interior detailing to people interested in automotive discounts.
- A restaurant is having a slow day and needs to raise occupancy and sales fast. Within minutes, an offer could be out in the system and delivered to hungry clients looking for a place to eat.
- A clothing store overbought shirts with a logo of a certain team thinking they are going to the playoffs this year, but the team had other plans. Clear out the inventory fast by reaching interested customers within minutes.
- A weather or other emergency situation arises and the public needs to be notified. How do you reach those people that are not in front of a television set and are not listening to the radio? Send out an informational message to the only means of communication that people always carry with them.
A Cell Phone or a Sudden Deal?
Today's readily available mobile phone technology gives more advertising opportunities to restaurant owners. With more than 530% growth of cell phone users in the United States in the last 10 years, having one is no longer a luxury. Everyone from children to the elderly are carrying a cell phone wherever they go. As of December 2006, more than 18.5 billion text messages are sent every month - and that number has grown by 250% each year for the last two years. Every cell phone is equipped with this cheap and easy to use technology.
Until now, the most popular way to attract customers was publishing a coupon in a direct mailer or newspaper, and hoping that of the thousands that potentially see it, some will actually use it. With the help of text messaging, restaurants can send sudden and unexpected deals to shoppers who have specified that they are in the area right now and are ready to spend. In order to receive these deals, shoppers only need to provide basic anonymous demographic information to create a free account. Once an account is created, shoppers can log in anytime to begin receiving deals from restaurants in a particular geographic location throughout the day.
Once a match is made in the system, the information gets sent to shoppers' cell phones as text messages and are received in less then a minute. The best feature about this new service is that shoppers are in control of how many deals they receive and the company guarantees not to sell or spam shoppers' cell phones numbers.
"
Unlike paper coupons, these messages are guaranteed to be read by a shopper that is ready to dine right now," says Julian Reytel, founder of Sudden Deals, one such text messaging company. Having chosen the best deal, the shopper visits the restaurant and shows their phone screen to the server to receive the discount.
In the days of environmental awareness, eliminating paper coupons and direct mailings is a great way to help save trees and lower pollution. Also, unlike the traditional coupons or event listings printed on paper, the merchants can create deals that are valid for only an hour to really rally-up the shoppers.
Unlike any other means of advertising, the cell phone advertising is a new, more intimate way to communicate with customers, and if used appropriately, will benefit both shoppers and merchants.
Until now, the most popular way to attract customers was publishing a coupon in a direct mailer or newspaper, and hoping that of the thousands that potentially see it, some will actually use it. With the help of text messaging, restaurants can send sudden and unexpected deals to shoppers who have specified that they are in the area right now and are ready to spend. In order to receive these deals, shoppers only need to provide basic anonymous demographic information to create a free account. Once an account is created, shoppers can log in anytime to begin receiving deals from restaurants in a particular geographic location throughout the day.
Once a match is made in the system, the information gets sent to shoppers' cell phones as text messages and are received in less then a minute. The best feature about this new service is that shoppers are in control of how many deals they receive and the company guarantees not to sell or spam shoppers' cell phones numbers.
"
Unlike paper coupons, these messages are guaranteed to be read by a shopper that is ready to dine right now," says Julian Reytel, founder of Sudden Deals, one such text messaging company. Having chosen the best deal, the shopper visits the restaurant and shows their phone screen to the server to receive the discount.In the days of environmental awareness, eliminating paper coupons and direct mailings is a great way to help save trees and lower pollution. Also, unlike the traditional coupons or event listings printed on paper, the merchants can create deals that are valid for only an hour to really rally-up the shoppers.
Unlike any other means of advertising, the cell phone advertising is a new, more intimate way to communicate with customers, and if used appropriately, will benefit both shoppers and merchants.
Text-message coupons may be a new line to discounts
Free cheesecake?
Check your text messages for a coupon, then show your phone to the waiter.
By Steve Alexander, Star Tribune
Last update: August 29, 2007 - 8:42 PM
Julian Reytel would like to send advertising to your cell phone -- but only if you ask him to. Reytel is CEO of New Idea Technologies of Mendota Heights, a new entrant in what are called "location-based services," the holy grail of local marketing.
Location-based services offer consumers something they want based on where they are. Reytel's start-up company sends free electronic coupons he calls "Sudden Deals" to the cell phones of people who sign up to receive them. Coupons are delivered based on where in the city consumers plan to be that day. (His service can't track their actual locations, though that's coming soon from a competitor.)
Consumers can redeem a coupon, which is really a text message, by showing the merchant the coupon on the cell phone's display screen.
"It's a way for merchants to directly communicate with shoppers who are interested," Reytel said. "It happens in real time and it will be something you asked for."
Since Sudden Deals went live in June, Reytel has persuaded about 20 consumers -- through local ads on Google and Yahoo -- to receive coupons, which so far come from just two restaurants, the Malt Shop in Minneapolis and the Glockenspiel in St. Paul. The Glockenspiel is offering a $5 off coupon on some meals. The Malt Shop is offering free cheesecake, worth $4, to people who purchase two meals.
Both restaurants say it's too early to gauge the results, but they think it may be a good way to attract consumers already in the neighborhood.
"This type of advertising is a spur of the moment and instant gratification thing," said Connie Prechel, an administrative assistant for the Glockenspiel. "The nice thing is that you can change the coupon offer at the drop of a hat." The Glockenspiel previously offered coupons only on its website.
"We thought we'd just see if it would work," said Richard Henke, owner of the Malt Shop, which previously had tried only direct-mail coupons. "It will be fun to see if anybody comes in and shows us a message they got on their cell phone."
Today, the most-established location-based services come from the cellular phone companies themselves. Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel both offer turn-by-turn navigation services to drivers, which work because the cell phone companies can detect electronically where a cell phone is located. An accessory service gives consumers the ability to find nearby amenities, such as an ATM or a gas station.
Verizon and Sprint also offer location-based services that enable parents to track the location of their children's cell phones for security purposes. In addition, Gearworks of Eagan makes cell phone software that enables corporations to locate and track employees who make deliveries or travel.
Reytel knows of no Twin Cities company doing what he's attempting but points to Cellfire, based in San Jose, Calif., as another company launched expressly to send coupons to consumer cell phones.
But a similar local service may be in the offing. The Minneapolis Wi-Fi network now under construction is expected to offer location-based advertising to local merchants, who could send wireless ads to nearby consumers via their laptop computers or Wi-Fi-equipped cell phones, such as the Apple iPhone.
Reytel hopes to make his business grow by building a trust relationship with consumers recruited through more online ads. He promises to keep their cell phone numbers confidential, and guarantees he won't sell his customer list to other marketers. What's more, he collects little personal information. To sign up, consumers give a phone number, whether they are male or female and an age range. In addition, consumers are promised they won't be bombarded with ads. Every sign-up lasts only one day, and even then consumers can specify the maximum number of coupons they want to receive.
Still, "until we make a name for ourselves, it will be hard to get people to give out their cell phone numbers," he said.
The two-employee company was started in 2004. For now, Reytel, a computer programmer for a local bank, is running Sudden Deals out of his home as a moonlighting project. His business model is to charge businesses for advertising, but a price list is still in the works. During the start-up phase he isn't charging the Malt Shop or the Glockenspiel.
"We're trying to get a sense of how many businesses will do coupon offers and how many consumers will sign up to get them," Reytel said.
Check your text messages for a coupon, then show your phone to the waiter.
By Steve Alexander, Star Tribune
Last update: August 29, 2007 - 8:42 PM
Julian Reytel would like to send advertising to your cell phone -- but only if you ask him to. Reytel is CEO of New Idea Technologies of Mendota Heights, a new entrant in what are called "location-based services," the holy grail of local marketing.
Location-based services offer consumers something they want based on where they are. Reytel's start-up company sends free electronic coupons he calls "Sudden Deals" to the cell phones of people who sign up to receive them. Coupons are delivered based on where in the city consumers plan to be that day. (His service can't track their actual locations, though that's coming soon from a competitor.)
Consumers can redeem a coupon, which is really a text message, by showing the merchant the coupon on the cell phone's display screen.
"It's a way for merchants to directly communicate with shoppers who are interested," Reytel said. "It happens in real time and it will be something you asked for."
Since Sudden Deals went live in June, Reytel has persuaded about 20 consumers -- through local ads on Google and Yahoo -- to receive coupons, which so far come from just two restaurants, the Malt Shop in Minneapolis and the Glockenspiel in St. Paul. The Glockenspiel is offering a $5 off coupon on some meals. The Malt Shop is offering free cheesecake, worth $4, to people who purchase two meals.
Both restaurants say it's too early to gauge the results, but they think it may be a good way to attract consumers already in the neighborhood.
"This type of advertising is a spur of the moment and instant gratification thing," said Connie Prechel, an administrative assistant for the Glockenspiel. "The nice thing is that you can change the coupon offer at the drop of a hat." The Glockenspiel previously offered coupons only on its website.
"We thought we'd just see if it would work," said Richard Henke, owner of the Malt Shop, which previously had tried only direct-mail coupons. "It will be fun to see if anybody comes in and shows us a message they got on their cell phone."
Today, the most-established location-based services come from the cellular phone companies themselves. Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel both offer turn-by-turn navigation services to drivers, which work because the cell phone companies can detect electronically where a cell phone is located. An accessory service gives consumers the ability to find nearby amenities, such as an ATM or a gas station.
Verizon and Sprint also offer location-based services that enable parents to track the location of their children's cell phones for security purposes. In addition, Gearworks of Eagan makes cell phone software that enables corporations to locate and track employees who make deliveries or travel.
Reytel knows of no Twin Cities company doing what he's attempting but points to Cellfire, based in San Jose, Calif., as another company launched expressly to send coupons to consumer cell phones.
But a similar local service may be in the offing. The Minneapolis Wi-Fi network now under construction is expected to offer location-based advertising to local merchants, who could send wireless ads to nearby consumers via their laptop computers or Wi-Fi-equipped cell phones, such as the Apple iPhone.
Reytel hopes to make his business grow by building a trust relationship with consumers recruited through more online ads. He promises to keep their cell phone numbers confidential, and guarantees he won't sell his customer list to other marketers. What's more, he collects little personal information. To sign up, consumers give a phone number, whether they are male or female and an age range. In addition, consumers are promised they won't be bombarded with ads. Every sign-up lasts only one day, and even then consumers can specify the maximum number of coupons they want to receive.
Still, "until we make a name for ourselves, it will be hard to get people to give out their cell phone numbers," he said.
The two-employee company was started in 2004. For now, Reytel, a computer programmer for a local bank, is running Sudden Deals out of his home as a moonlighting project. His business model is to charge businesses for advertising, but a price list is still in the works. During the start-up phase he isn't charging the Malt Shop or the Glockenspiel.
"We're trying to get a sense of how many businesses will do coupon offers and how many consumers will sign up to get them," Reytel said.
Ring, Ring….Coupon Calling
By Patrick Schaber
Imagine this:
You’re sitting at your desk slightly before noon on any given day and the hunger calls are loud from your stomach. Yes, it’s time for lunch. You head for the door and start thinking about what might taste good today as your cell phone notifies you that an incoming text message has arrived. With your mind still on food you reluctantly check the message…
…but wait…
The text message is from the sandwhich deli two blocks down on the right. They’re having a special today that inludes a free cookie! All you have to do is show that text message at the deli and you get the cookie with your sandwhich. All of sudden, a sandwhich would taste really good today.
How about that for Local advertising? Can you get any more local?
An article I saw recently caught my attention and led me to look into location-based text advertising. The article profiled Julian Reytel of SuddenDeals.com.
From the article: Location-based services offer consumers something they want based on where they are. Reytel’s start-up company sends free electronic coupons he calls “Sudden Deals” to the cell phones of people who sign up to receive them. Coupons are delivered based on where in the city consumers plan to be that day. (His service can’t track their actual locations, though that’s coming soon from a competitor.)
Consumers can redeem a coupon, which is really a text message, by showing the merchant the coupon on the cell phone’s display screen.
This is by no means a new advertising technology, but I’ve seen more than a few articles talking about advertising via text in the last couple of months. The medium is definitely gaining momentum. As long as the texting content doesn’t go the way of spam, I think this is a win-win effort for advertiser and consumer.
What are your thoughts? Too intrusive or worth trying?
Imagine this:
You’re sitting at your desk slightly before noon on any given day and the hunger calls are loud from your stomach. Yes, it’s time for lunch. You head for the door and start thinking about what might taste good today as your cell phone notifies you that an incoming text message has arrived. With your mind still on food you reluctantly check the message…
…but wait…
The text message is from the sandwhich deli two blocks down on the right. They’re having a special today that inludes a free cookie! All you have to do is show that text message at the deli and you get the cookie with your sandwhich. All of sudden, a sandwhich would taste really good today.
How about that for Local advertising? Can you get any more local?
An article I saw recently caught my attention and led me to look into location-based text advertising. The article profiled Julian Reytel of SuddenDeals.com.
From the article: Location-based services offer consumers something they want based on where they are. Reytel’s start-up company sends free electronic coupons he calls “Sudden Deals” to the cell phones of people who sign up to receive them. Coupons are delivered based on where in the city consumers plan to be that day. (His service can’t track their actual locations, though that’s coming soon from a competitor.)
Consumers can redeem a coupon, which is really a text message, by showing the merchant the coupon on the cell phone’s display screen.
This is by no means a new advertising technology, but I’ve seen more than a few articles talking about advertising via text in the last couple of months. The medium is definitely gaining momentum. As long as the texting content doesn’t go the way of spam, I think this is a win-win effort for advertiser and consumer.
What are your thoughts? Too intrusive or worth trying?
How does it work?
Step ONE:
Create your FREE account and use SuddenDeals.com to receive SMS Text Messages from Twin Cities' bars, restaurants and nightclubs with events, concerts and discounts. Messages only sent for one (1) day unless otherwise chosen.
We do NOT spam or share your number with anyone!
Step TWO:
Once you login, select a geographic location and the categories of "Sudden Deals" you would like to receive. The "Sudden Deals" are sent to your cell phone as soon as merchants post them.
You control the limit of how many SMS Text Messages you want to receive.
Step THREE
You will receive "Sudden Deals" as SMS messages on your cell phone throughout the day. Simply choose an event or discount you like from the "Sudden Deals" you've received and your day/night is set. No need to plan!Messages only sent the day of login unless otherwise selected.
It's that simple.
You're in complete control!
Create your FREE account and use SuddenDeals.com to receive SMS Text Messages from Twin Cities' bars, restaurants and nightclubs with events, concerts and discounts. Messages only sent for one (1) day unless otherwise chosen.
We do NOT spam or share your number with anyone!
Step TWO:
Once you login, select a geographic location and the categories of "Sudden Deals" you would like to receive. The "Sudden Deals" are sent to your cell phone as soon as merchants post them.
You control the limit of how many SMS Text Messages you want to receive.
Step THREE
You will receive "Sudden Deals" as SMS messages on your cell phone throughout the day. Simply choose an event or discount you like from the "Sudden Deals" you've received and your day/night is set. No need to plan!Messages only sent the day of login unless otherwise selected.
It's that simple.
You're in complete control!
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does this cost?
Why would I use this service?
I want to try this service, but am afraid I'll get a lot of messages.
Would I be getting message day and night?
Can I schedule to receive offers at a later date?
How is this different from other similar sites?
How much does this cost?
It is FREE for you to use our service as much as you like. However, some cell phone service providers
charge a small fee per message. Please check with you provider.
Why would I use this service?
To know of happy hours, concerts, restaurants and nightlife
in the Twin Cities. How many times have you wanted to
go out but didn't know which place to try? With SuddenDeals.com,
restaurants, bars and nightclubs battle for your business
by sending you "Sudden Deals".
The best part is, you don't need to spend hours searching for places
online or in the paper. Simply pick the place you want to go
to from the SMS messages you receive.
I want to try this service, but am afraid I'll get a lot of messages.
When you log in to request offers, you can choose a limit
of how many messages you want to receive.
Would I be getting messages day and night?
No. Our service only sends out messages from 8am
CDT to 11pm CDT. Also, offers are only sent to
you either only on the day you log in, or on a
future day chosen by you.
Can I schedule to receive offers at a later date?
Yes, you can schedule up to 5 days in advance.
How is this different from other similar sites?
The main difference is that Sudden Deals is a live,
real-time, entertainment/discount network. The information
is sent as SMS Text Messages to a shopper's cell phone.
It's fast and easy and takes only seconds for the shopper
to log in to SuddenDeals.com. Log in, receive SMS text
messages of event/discounts on your cell phone, grab
you friends and enjoy the day.
What is SuddenDeals.com?
SuddenDeals.com provides instant access to deals offered from participating bars, restaurants, nightclubs and music venues. In the future we hope to add services of all kinds. We plan on asking the user what they want SuddenDeals to do for them. Besides, it's their site, their deals, and they run the show.
Using the latest SMS technology and proprietary software, we match user requests with business deals with lightening fast speed and delivery. The business gets it's message to users and the users get the deals delivered to their cell phone via text message. Users can then forward their deals to friends and take advantage of any deal being offered. Everybody wins!
Using the latest SMS technology and proprietary software, we match user requests with business deals with lightening fast speed and delivery. The business gets it's message to users and the users get the deals delivered to their cell phone via text message. Users can then forward their deals to friends and take advantage of any deal being offered. Everybody wins!
Hello World!
Welcome to the SuddenDeals blog!
We are currently redesigning the site and making a few tweaks to the database. It'll be faster, a bit more elegant and provide better delivery of your deals.
Currently we have 4 categories on the site to choose from. These are then broken into locations.
For example: Once you're logged in and you want to receive deals from Bars located in Northeast Minneapolis you simply choose: Northeast MPLS as your location and tick the "Local Bars" category below.
Then choose how many deals you want to receive and for how long. Then hit GO!
You'll receive deals from participating bars in Northeast MPLS with no duplicates. If you select to receive deals for 6 days, on Day 2, you'll receive any new deals that are posted on Day 2 and so forth.
Feel free to recommend any new businesses you'd like to see and if we get 10 requests for the same business, we'll contact them. You can also visit a businesses website and send them a link to our site and tell them to sign up! Remember, it's FREE!
We are currently redesigning the site and making a few tweaks to the database. It'll be faster, a bit more elegant and provide better delivery of your deals.
Currently we have 4 categories on the site to choose from. These are then broken into locations.
For example: Once you're logged in and you want to receive deals from Bars located in Northeast Minneapolis you simply choose: Northeast MPLS as your location and tick the "Local Bars" category below.
Then choose how many deals you want to receive and for how long. Then hit GO!
You'll receive deals from participating bars in Northeast MPLS with no duplicates. If you select to receive deals for 6 days, on Day 2, you'll receive any new deals that are posted on Day 2 and so forth.
Feel free to recommend any new businesses you'd like to see and if we get 10 requests for the same business, we'll contact them. You can also visit a businesses website and send them a link to our site and tell them to sign up! Remember, it's FREE!
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