Treat Me launches mobile platform 'Treat Me Now'

Treat Me daily deals are now available on mobiles with the launch of Treat Me Now.

The mobile platform allows businesses to load deals within 15 minutes, Treat Me head James MacAvoy said.

“That’s pretty handy if you want to entice people in for a haircut on a slow morning, fill the seats in your theatre before the movie starts, or have people pop in to check out something new on your breakfast menu.”

Mr MacAvoy said every deal had to be approved by Treat Me staff and the site checked the authenticity of businesses who signed up.  He said hours of approval on launch would be Monday to Friday 8:30am - 10pm and Saturday and Sunday 8:30am - 5pm

Mr MacAvoy said the plan was to monitor when the deals came through and adjust the hours of approval to suit.

The platform was launched yesterday and allows those signed up to receive deals in real-time, something that had been creating buzz overseas, Mr MacAvoy said.

“It’s cool for consumers because it’s totally convenient and gives them a world of choice, and it’s cool for businesses because they can create, upload, and unleash deals when it suits them.”

Android to come
Consumers can buy deals via a mobile app available for download from the Apple store from December 1.

Mr MacAvoy said an app for Android was next on the list and Treat Me was looking to create an all purpose HTML5 app useable with other operating systems.

Treat Me was looking to use the new notification system available with iOS 5 to alert users to deals, he said, which should be implemented after the release version.

Treat Me also planned to launch a merchant app which would allow businesses to scan barcodes and thus redeem a customer’s voucher via the mobile phone.  This app would also include reporting for businesses, including return on the deal and location of the majority of purchasers.

The first deals will go live in Auckland and Wellington on December 1, with the deal site to be extended to other centres in 2012. 

Businesses could sign up today with no commission charged for deals loaded before November 24, with a live date of between December 1 and 22.

Trade Me now has three deal site options, with Trade Me daily deals powered by 1-day, Treat Me, the stand-alone group buying site promoting deals in nine regions of New Zealand and Treat Me Now.

Since launching in March 2011, Treat Me has sold more than 360,000 vouchers, Mr MacAvoy said.