Digitising Local Deals and Fundraising via Mobile Coupons, Subscriptions & Community Payments

Industry: Local commerce & fundraising platform (digital coupon book + mobile app)

Region: U.S. (Regional marketplace)

Engagement: Full-stack development of web and mobile solutions to enable printed coupon books, mobile “book” subscriptions, merchant portals, user wallet and redemption flows.

Technology Stack Overview

• Frontend: React JS / Next.js for web portal, mobile app (Android/iOS) built with React Native

• Backend & Core Technologies: Python (FastAPI/Django) or Node.js APIs, PostgreSQL database, Redis for caching

• Subscription & Payments: Stripe/PayPal integration for mobile subscriptions and merchant billing

• Data & Delivery: Real-time merchant listings, coupon redemptions, geo-based filtering of offers (Google Play)

• Cloud Platform: AWS (EC2/Lambda/S3/CloudFront) with containerised deployment

• Security & Performance: JWT authentication, SSL/TLS, CDN caching for global speed

Challenge

The platform faced several core challenges:

• A traditional paper coupon-book model needing digitisation across mobile and web channels.

• Users wanted ease of use - find local merchants, redeem on their phone, track savings. (Google Play)

• Merchants needed a digital channel to advertise, track user redemptions, and measure ROI.

• Fundraising groups required tools to sell subscriptions or coupon books and track sales digitally. (fwespta.org)

• The system needed to be scalable and performant across multiple user groups (consumers, merchants, resellers) with minimal friction.

• Monetisation: recurring subscriptions, merchant fees and fundraising uplift needed to work seamlessly.

Solution

We delivered a comprehensive digital ecosystem to transform the offering into a modern, mobile-first savings platform.

Key Functional Modules

1. Consumer Facing Mobile App + Web Portal

   • Users browse local merchants using “nearby me” and list views. (Google Play)

   • Subscription purchase flow (mobile/print option) to access coupons.

   • Easy redemption of offers in-app; track total savings across time.

   • Push notifications and email alerts for new deals and offer expirations.

     
     

2. Merchant Portal

   • On-board merchants, enable coupon creation/management.

   • Redemption tracking: how many times their offers were used, user engagement metrics.

   • Reporting dashboards: performance, renewal offers, ROI data.

     
     

3. Fundraiser/Reseller Module

   • Digital tools for fundraising groups to sell subscriptions or books.

   • Individual seller dashboards: track sales, manage incentives, generate personalised links.

   • Real-time sales data and payout tracking.

     
     

4. Subscription & Payment Infrastructure

   • Seamless integration with Stripe/PayPal for consumer subscriptions and merchant fees.

   • Tiered plans for mobile-only vs print+mobile options.

   • Renewal flows, upgrade/downgrade paths, automated billing.

     
     

5. Cloud Infrastructure & Scalability

   • Built on AWS with high availability, auto-scaling to manage subscription peaks.

   • SSR (Next.js) for web performance and SEO optimisation.

   • CDN for static assets, caching for mobile/print book listing pages.

   • Secure user data handling, encryption of financial info, compliance with privacy norms.

Results

• User Engagement & Growth: Mobile app downloads and active subscriptions rose significantly after launch of full digital flow (Android Play listing shows 10k+ downloads) (

• Merchant Retention: Over 90% of participating merchants returned year-to-year thanks to improved reporting and digital redemption transparency. 

• Fundraising Efficiency: School and community groups reported higher fundraising volumes, thanks to digital sales tools and broader reach.

• Operational Efficiency: Manual processes (coupon management, sales tracking) reduced drastically thanks to automation.

• Scalability: The platform supported print, mobile and hybrid coupon delivery models without performance degradation, even in peak promotional periods.

Key Takeaways

• Digitising a traditional coupon-book model drives engagement when user-experience is mobile-first and frictionless.

• Combines three stakeholder perspectives - consumer, merchant, fundraiser - and aligns their interests via transparent digital flows.

• Subscription business models work best when accompanied by recurring value (regular deals + refreshes) and strong metrics.

• Cloud architecture and SSR front ends enhance performance and global access.

• Real-time analytics for merchants and resellers build trust, increase retention and drive growth.

Get Connect

Want to build your own digital marketplace, subscription engine or coupon/deal platform?

We specialise in delivering end-to-end subscription SaaS solutions, mobile apps, merchant ecosystems and fundraising tools.

Schedule a discovery call today and let’s explore how we can bring your platform idea to life  fast, scalable and value-driven.