Road Trip Savings
N112 W16510 Mequon Road, Germantown
Innovation: Universal discount tag for local businesses
It seems like almost every day a new digital coupon service appears in our email inbox, or more meal deals and service specials are developed for smart phone applications like Four Square or Gowalla.
But if you don’t have a smart phone and you don’t want to continuously be printing off coupons for your favorite local business, George Fernandez, president and founder of Road Trip Savings, has another solution for you.
“I wanted to provide people with a convenient eco-friendly way to discover local businesses in their communities and beyond and allow them to save at the same time,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez has developed a Road Trip Savings key tag, that functions much like a savings card for big box grocery and department stores. The Road Trip Savings tag is designed to function with mom and pop stores and locally owned businesses.
“I wanted this key tag to be strictly confined to helping mom and pop businesses in the community thrive,” Fernandez said. “I did it in the form of a key tag to make it usable and an easy to understand concept for everybody, not just tech savvy smart phone users. A grandmother can use and understand a key tag.”
Despite the simplistic appeal of a traditional key tag, Fernandez said his main goal is to help support local businesses across the country. So he is in the process of developing a mobile website and smart phone applications that will enhance, and not replace the key tag.
“Smart phone applications are where it is these days,” he said. “I want people to be able to use their Road Trip Savings code from anywhere, but I started with the key tag because it can appeal to everyone.”
Each key tag has a barcode with a unique account number that allows users to register on the Road Trip Savings website, Fernandez said.
“Once the key tag is registered, users can sign up to receive RSS notifications from their favorite local business about the deals and coupons they have available,” he said. “But it doesn’t have to be that advanced either.”
According to Fernandez, businesses who have opted into the Road Trip Savings coupon code can display a window cling on their business door.
“The window cling indicates there is a Road Trip Savings special at that establishment. Users can either show their card or have it scanned to take advantage of the discount,” Fernandez said.
Businesses can sign up to be a part of Road Trip Savings discounts for $750 a year.
“Once a business is a member, they can set up a profile on RoadTripSavings.com and create and update their specials and coupons whenever they want,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez hopes to partner with local chambers of commerce to cross market the key tags for local businesses, he said.
“My main goal is to provide more exposure to the local businesses who have struggled through this economy,” he said. “They can’t do everything themselves and if Road Trip Savings can highlight some of these gems in our community then it’s a win-win for everyone.”
Road Trip Savings was established last March. Since that time businesses across all industries including restaurants, auto repair and professional services and hair salons have signed up as members. Fernandez is targeting the Wisconsin market the most heavily, but businesses from Illinois, other parts of the Midwest and other states like Florida and Arizona have been approached, he said.
Future installations of Road Trip Savings will include mobile website and application access that links to device GPS technology to notify users when deals are in the area, he said.
“Right now people can search on the website where the deals in their areas are,” he said. “There is a lot of adaptability behind this product and we plan to move in directions where our consumers want us to go.”
