1.0 Introduction
Millions of consumers regularly use product redemption coupon and realize substantial saving. In Marketing, a coupon is ticket or document that can be exchanged for am financial discount or rebate when purchasing a product. Customarily, coupons are issued by Manufacturers of consumers of packaged goods or by retailers to be used in retail stores as a part of sales promotion. They are often widely distributed through mail, coupon envelopes, magazines, Newspapers, the Internet (social media, email, and newsletter) directly from the retailer and mobile devices such as phones. Since only price conscious consumer are likely to spend the time to claim the savings , coupon functions as a form of price discrimination enabling retailers to offer a lower price only to those consumers who would otherwise go elsewhere.
In addition, coupons can be also be targeted selectively to regional markets in which price competition is great. Some consumer tend not to keep for future use but will review coupon available just prior to shopping to see if any of them cover product they plan to buy or if there is any for new improve product of interest.
But new invention relates to the digitalized or electronic generation and distribution of secure money saving or discount coupons in particular to use the centrally located online computer system for distributing such coupon to remotely connected consumer computer and for collecting user specific data regarding coupon usage and demographic information from the remote computer.
1.1 Background Of Study
Discount coupons have long been distributed by manufacturer to market their product and retail store to attract customer to their particular store in order to buy their product.
For decades advertisers have issued or published printed coupon which can be taken to redemption center for some value or as a discount towards the purchase of some item. With this method has proved to be effective, there are many processes involved for the user, the redemption Centre or retail store as well as advertise themselves.
First, a user must purchase or otherwise obtain a publication for coupons which would be useful or meaningful to user. The user cut out such coupon being various sizes and shapes being of different types of products.
The user must separate the coupon into product categories and brand the coupon together into the best way possible upon arrival at a particular manufacturer or retail store. Therefore in order to redeemed some coupon to find it necessary to search out the desirable item in a number of some , the consumer must select the coupon for which the product are purchased from a number of coupon the user brought to the store initially.
Moreover, the current system of clearing coupon which are distributed and redeemed coupon to a clearing house, and in turn returns it to the manufacturer or retailer.
1.2 Statement Of Problem
There are many problem associated with coupon generation and redemption:
- There is the problem of cutting out of the coupon from the pages of the publications which is annoying and waste of valuable time.
- Lack of specific information as to the nature of the purchaser, this load is to the manufacturer or wholesaler to conduct separate marketing survey which is extremely costly and time consuming.
- The physical landing of coupon is error prone , cumbersome and slow and manipulation.
1.3 Aim And Objective Of The Study
The aim and objective of the study is to design and implement automated coupon generating system (Yale Food Company). In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To provide a system in which a customer selects coupon (s) at home using his computer machine connected on a public computer network optimally print the coupon on a printer and redeems the coupon upon completion of shopping in that store (or company) or later but within the period of validity of the coupon.
- To provide a system which generate coupon with unique serial number and upon selection of such coupon by the consumer records, the selection includes coupon s serial number and user's identification number in the coupon database.
- To provide optional means wherein easy verification of coupon is achieved.
- To provide an automated coupon distribution and redemption system which can identify users of the system before they make coupon selection and offer different coupon to different users of the system on the bases of already obtain demographic data about the user.
- To enable the company get quick result in the amount of usage and detailed information about the consumer.
- To eliminate fraudulent redemption of the types that is characteristics of conventional coupon distribution and redemption system.
1.3 Scope Of The Study
The scope of this project Centre's around automated coupon generating system for Yale Food Company.
This project work also covers how Yale Food Company can automatically generate, coupon and also its distribution and redemption.
1.4 Limitation Of The Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this research work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this establishment to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.5 Definition Of Terms
Consumer:
Is a person who buys goods and services.
Coupon:
Is a ticket or document that can be exchanged for a financial discount or rebate when purchasing a product.
Demographic:
Is a group of people in a society, especially people in a particular age group.
Discount:
Is a reduction in the usual price of something.
Manufacturer:
Is a business or company which produces goods in large quantity to sell.
Retailer:
Is a person or business that sells goods directly to the consumer.
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