Soon, SMS discount offers to tempt shoppers when they pass Starbucks

London, Oct 17 (ANI): As part of an advanced new marketing strategy, shoppers passing Starbucks outlets will soon be bombarded with texts to tempt them inside.

Using a GPS satellite system, which allows networks to track phone owners, the coffee chain will send SMS discount vouchers to mobile phones.

A message will be sent automatically when shoppers pass through a geo-fence - a virtual boundary surrounding the store.

Although critics fear that marketing offering consumers deals based on their location might threaten personal privacy, O2, the first network to test the scheme in the UK, says its set-up means customers must opt in before they receive any vouchers.

Placecast, a Californian firm that uses the new technology in the US, claimed that 60 per cent of participants said it is "cool and innovative".

"The service allows consumers to go about their day and automatically alerts them when they are near a special offer available at their favourite retailers," the Scotsman quoted Placecast chief executive Alistair Goodman as saying.

"This is truly marketing as a service to consumers, not an intrusion, enabling people to connect with brands at the right place and in real-time, all via their mobile phone," Goodman added. (ANI)