Mobile coupon redemption is something we’ve all been predicting would eventually go mainstream, but technical hurdles have kept that from happening so far. Getting the big brands on board is only going to help, though.

Unilever is doing a four-week mobile coupon pilot in New Jersey. Having read the details of their pilot, I’m not convinced it will work as well as it could. Shoppers will be required to visit a third-party site to find and send coupons to their mobile devices. I think that’s too much effort for most shoppers, but at least Unilever is trying.