Evolution
of Coupons-3.0

Universal Digital Coupons

As consumer engagement has migrated to mobile devices, the coupon industry technology and standards have not been uniform. The result has been a fragmented and siloed coupon distribution landscape. Making matters worse, the legacy coupon format, AI (8110), has experienced what many consider to be unacceptable levels of fraud and the industry is seeking more efficient and effective processes. Enter AI (8112), a new GS1 application identifier that has been established to support the industry.

Non Profit

Non-profit and managed by industry organizations that represent manufacturers and retailers

Industry
Managed

Borne of JICC/ACP digital subgroup, The Coupon Bureau is directed in its scope of work by a team of advisors from JICC/ACP

Stakeholder
Agnostic

A guiding principle for TCB is that it shall remain neutral to stakeholders, and will not disrupt or displace any current participant in the coupon ecosystem

Centralized

Single Source of Truth

Manufacturers will create a 'Master Offer File' which will be the single source of truth. All associated stakeholders will be able to access the file in order to perform their specific functions (distribution, validation, clearing). The TCB Positive Offer File is accessed via a set of standardized APIs in order for retailers to connect, validate the coupon, and retrieve the offer details; as well as real-time reporting to all stakeholders involved with each coupon: manufacturer, coupon provider/distributor, manufacturer agent, retailer clearinghouse.

Standardized

Universal Digital Coupon

The platform to create and manage Universal Digital Coupons through the positive offer file is a new GS1-US coupon standard and coupon type, AI (8112). Guided by JICC/ACP, The Coupon Bureau is responsible for creating, maintaining and rolling out the coupon format AI (8112) to all stakeholders in 2020, including grocery retailers, convenience store retailers, coupon provider/distributors, CPGs, and clearinghouses. A single set of standards, found in the Coupon Data and Specifications document, will be used to create and execute all coupon programs, creating more secure, and more efficient data exchange between parties.