Roving promoters show shoppers how they can get bargains with GSS mobile app

Who does not like a good deal?

So when 50 people wearing brightly coloured T-shirts promoting the discount-offering app GoSpree walked around Robinsons at Raffles City, City Link Mall, Marina Square and Millenia Walk, shoppers immediately downloaded it on their mobile phones.

The promoters were accompanied by ONE FM 91.3 DJ Andre Hoeden, who did live radio reports on the roving event.

"It's convenient because now everyone has smartphones so they can just download it and scan the QR codes," said Ms Giselle Ho, 38.

The human resources executive, who was at Raffles City with her mother, said she would look out for e-coupons for department stores.

The app gives customers access to e-coupons from different categories of retailers in Singapore and compiles the offers in a virtual card to be used at designated physical stores before they expire.

The app was launched on June 9 at the start of the Great Singapore Sale (GSS), which will run until Aug 13. About $500,000 worth of e-coupons are available for redemption until the sale ends. Each GSS retailer has a unique QR code, which is displayed around the island.

The app is an initiative by the Singapore Retailers Association, which organises the annual GSS. It is to reach out to younger tech- savvy shoppers and help participating retailers pull in shoppers.

Mr Muhammad Iszwan Shaik Rahamad Ali, 22, was already planning his next purchase, a belt, after downloading the app. "I think it's good. It gets people moving around," said the security guard, who was with his fiancee. "In the end... you get discounts, so why not?"

The geolocation-enabled app also lets retailers send e-coupons and flash-deal alerts to shoppers nearby. Each GSS retailer has a unique QR code, which may be displayed around the island. Users can collect codes using the app's code scanner to unlock special deals.

GoSpree has been downloaded around 21,000 times since it was launched on June 9. The app is available in English and Chinese and can be downloaded from the Apple store and Google Play store.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on July 02, 2017, with the headline Roving promoters show shoppers how they can get bargains with GSS mobile app. Subscribe