Redefining Deals
CampusCred's exclusive social savings expands to UT students
In the wake of a gloomy American recession, the new online couponing trend has found nourishment from blossoming social media opportunities, as well as tech-savvy consumers eager to cut costs on escapism. In addition to established trendsetters in the industry (Groupon and LivingSocial), e-commerce giants Google and Amazon have rolled out their own weapons of mass price reduction to snag our sweet spot for savings, once and for all.
But a new competitor to the market is tackling a different angle, setting sights exclusively on the college student side of couponing.
Hailing from The University of California, Berkeley, the unambiguously monikered CampusCred was met with such great success at Austin's own University of Texas last spring that it plans to relaunch and re-saturate one of the most social-media-minded campuses in the country.
"Expanding to UT Austin was an obvious next step for us," says CampusCred co-founder Louis Fu. "The students' energy and school spirit, not to mention the amazing social scene, made UT an ideal university for CampusCred to expand to. We're really looking forward to getting more great deals for Longhorns and helping students really discover the Austin community."
CampusCred's decision to appeal to the Austin college scene marks the first time the company has migrated from the state of California. Previously, only students of UC Berkeley, San Diego, Irvine and a handful of other California state schools were offered discounts on their enrollment through the website.
For those familiar with established social couponing programs, CampusCred works in a similar manner: students visit the CampusCred website and sign in with either their UT or Facebook account to view the latest deal (for example, a free coffee or beer at JP's Java.)
The deals are limited in quantity which drives both the appeal of CampusCred as well as the featured local businesses who receive publicity from these offers.
CampusCred's Austin division has already been hard at work partnering with Austin businesses to provide savings for students, teaming up with the UT Social Media Club to brainstorm new ways for students to save by sharing their deals with friends online.
Although CampusCred has already launched for Longhorns this spring, the program has taken a break during the summer to seek new business partnerships and redesign their sleek look. Students hungry for savings should keep their eye on CampusCred's website and annoucements from the UT Social Media Club when it relaunches this fall semester.
