cheap.as
A while back TechCrunch published a post, Companies I'd like to Profile (but don't exist), and number 4 was Tailored Local Offers (via RSS). There were a few goodies, but this was the one that tweaked my interest because I have thought about this a number of times myself...
I'd like to be able to subscribe to a feed which delivered special offers/coupons/discounts from businesses in my area, defined by my choice of area (zip) code (or multiple area codes, maybe where I live and where I work). Of course I should also be able to subscribe by email, and probably define categories which were of interest. Offers would show up in my reader with a brief description and a link to the page where I can print off the coupon (if a printed copy is required).
From a merchant point of view it would enable users to select which area codes their offer went to (maybe by selecting an area from a map), and the cost would be based on some forumla of area codes and subscriber numbers, so incenting merchants to keep their offers tightly focussed. The system would also enable merchants to tie offers into their POS system by entering product codes for each offer which would be displayed on the coupons as bar codes. There are a number of online coupon places and I am always surpised not to have seen anyone do this already...it's not like producing bar codes is hard.
Simple stuff, but I am not aware of anyone who is doing this in a good way already...anyone? I even thought of a cool domain name, cheap.as, although I am not sure anyone outside Australia/NZ would be familiar with the common use of the phrase "cheap as!", which is quite different to "cheap ass!", but you know, that might work too :)