UK mobile coupon provider Vouchercloud has launched in Ireland. The service offers discounts, codes and vouchers for daily shopping from a range of High Street shops, restaurants and leisure providers as well as travel and financial services companies. Vouchercloud uses the smartphone's GPS system to locate discounting retailers nearest to the customer. The voucher is downloaded to the smartphone screen, then shown to the sales assistant in store to redeem the discount. Retailers can manage their own vouchers and discount offers via a self-service online portal. Separately, Vodafone Group had increased its shareholding in Vouchercloud's parent company, Invitation Digital Limited (IDL), to 57 percent. Vodafone took a 21 percent stake in IDL in May 2011 and has the first option to increase its direct shareholding in the future. Vodafone intends to work with IDL to extend Vouchercloud beyond the UK and Ireland over the coming months as part of the operator's m-commerce strategy.
