Valpak has seen more than 20,000 coupons loaded since equipping its iPhone application to let consumers save coupons to Apple’s Passbook.

The feature was rolled out earlier this month to the Valpak Local Savings application. Valpak has been steadily building up its mobile presence over the past year to target consumers.

“Our core strategy around digital is anywhere at any time and Passbook fits that perfectly,” said Michael Vivio, president of Cox Target Media, Largo, FL.

“Our job as a provider of advertising – regardless of platform – is to ensure that consumers see our advertisers’ message and by ensuring that we’re in alignment with what we see as the next big thing – that being mobile wallets – it only made sense for us to adopt this platform,” he said.

Valpak is owned and operated by Cox Target Media Inc., a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Media Group Inc.

Save on mobile
Consumers who have downloaded the Valpak Local Savings app can scroll through the pages of offers and add specific coupons to Passbook.

Coupons are redeemed through a QR code.

A button in the bottom left-hand corner of the app encourages consumers to tap to add coupons to Passbook. The button lets users either click-to-add the coupon to Passbook, add it to their favorites or share it via email, SMS, Twitter and Facebook.

When users add coupons to Passbook, the offer appears as a QR code that can then be redeemed at the point-of-sale by the merchant. The coupons are also location-triggered so that when consumers are nearby a merchant, the offer will pop up on their device.

Passbook then aggregates all of a user’s Valpak coupons to let users swipe through offers. Each coupon can then be flipped over to show information about the merchant including the address and phone number of the store.

In addition to the number of coupons added, Valpak has also seen that the app’s ratings jump from three-and-a-half stars to five stars since incorporating Passbook.

Game-changer
In addition to Valpak, companies such as Sephora, MLB, Starbucks and Walgreens have all integrated Passbook into their apps.

Many experts were upset when Apple’s iPhone 5 and iOS6 software launched without NFC technology. However, Passbook is a huge opportunity for retailers to keep their apps top of mind for consumers.

Retailers can use Passbook to aggregate coupons, loyalty cards and tickets.

By integrating the app into Passbook, Valpak is showing that it is thinking ahead of the game and using mobile to connect with consumers in new ways.

According to Valpak, the move to Passbook is part of the company’s goal to think mobile-first.

Earlier this year, the company redesigned both its iPhone and Android apps to include deals and personalized features (see story).

Additionally, Twentieth Century Fox recently partnered with Valpak to let consumers buy tickets for the film “Ice Age: Continental Drift” via QR codes (see story).

“Like many other companies, Valpak is focused on ensuring that we’re skating to where the puck is going to be,  and we strongly believe that this development by Apple will be followed in short order by other mobile OS providers – we intend to be relevant on those platforms as well,” Mr. Vivio said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York