My My My Myyyy Chinoki

Groupon's been an incredibly valuable resource, probably well worth its $6 billion price tag. But I'm glad to see that one start-up has taken Groupon's consumer model and upped the ante a bit. Mychinoki.com just started out in Philly is using SMS to connect businesses with customers.


I like Groupon's mobile app, and I get their daily discounts every morning. But Mychinoki.com takes that approach a bit further by being more spontaneous and allowing businesses to reach potential customers almost on an as-needed basis. It's PR guy, Dan Schwartz, gives this example:

Let's say you own a bar, it's a slow night, and you want to get people in the door. You can quickly sign in to your account and shoot a text message out offering a deal, and every subscriber will receive that message immediately. 

I don't know about you, but this is the kind of targeted business pitches that I do want to get.

And, just so you know, "chinoki" is Japanese for "cherry picker." Subtle enough?