The site is called MyChinoki.com.
Founder Matt Balin explains, "The word "chinoki" means "cherry-picker." MyChinoki.com is a service that allows consumers to stay connected to their favorite restaurants, retailers, boutiques and organizations via SMS text messaging."
Here's how it works. When Matthew Izzo, who owns a lifestyle company with a store in Old City and web-based business, wants to have a sale, he can send out text messages through MyChinoki to select people who've signed up to follow his business.
He can pick the recipients by gender, age and where they live.
"I think it's a good, direct way that I can quickly contact my supporters and eople who have logged on and chosen me as part of their network," Izzo explains. "It's a great social media way that I can tell people about sales, or parties or events."
Balin encourages businesses to save their text messages for really good deals -- like savings of 50 to 70%. When MyChinoki users want to take advantage of a deal, they just bring their cell phone with the text on it into the business.
"In the body of the message, I have all my businesses say, 'show your cell phone to the server or cashier' and there's a promtional code in the body of the message, Balin explains. He adds that the MyChinoki deals are not available elsewhere on the Internet.
To register for MyChinoki, click here.
