Digital coupon service works with store cards to save on staples

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Instead, the service from SavingStar Inc. in Waltham will work with the loyalty cards handed out at large chains, such as the supermarkets Shaw’s and Stop & Shop and the drug retailer CVS, to give extra discounts on everyday items such as juice, paper towels, and diapers.

“It is not about daily deals at your local tanning salon,’’ said David Rochon, chief executive of SavingStar. “We’re talking about what people are buying every day.’’

Here’s how it works:

Consumers will log on to SavingStar’s website, or access the service through a smartphone app, and enter the numbers on their loyalty cards for national and regional stores. Then, they will click on coupon offers for products they want.

When they go into the stores and buy any of those products, the savings will automatically be deposited in a SavingStar account.

SavingStar customers can then choose to receive accrued savings in a number of ways, including having money deposited into a bank account or receiving Amazon.com gift cards.

“There is zero to print or clip,’’ Rochon said.

The company’s mobile app debuts today, with the website to follow tomorrow. The first batch of coupons includes 50 deals on products such as Bounty paper towels, Ball Park hot dogs, and Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing.

Rochon said the service will offer more deals as it expands.

Kathy Spencer of Boxford, author of the book “How to Shop for Free,’’ said she has been waiting for a national digital coupon service to start up. She said existing digital coupon sites, such as Cellfire, operate primarily in other parts of the country.

“I knew it was going to get here eventually, so I’m excited to learn that it is,’’ Spencer said. “It’s great to have it on the [loyalty] card, because it makes it so much easier. Now you don’t have an excuse not to use coupons.’’

Mike Tesler, a partner at the consultant firm Retail Concepts in Norwell, said the SavingStar system is a great idea. The challenges for the new company, he said, will be to find a way to stand out in a marketplace crowded with deals websites and to educate consumers on how the site works.

SavingStar will be more likely to catch on with consumers if users see discounts right away on products they buy, he said.

“It’s fine to say they have relationships with all these brands, but in a CVS, where there’s 10,000 items, that’s a lot of merchandise to cover,’’ Tesler said. “If I go to CVS and I buy four items, and I go O for 4, I’m going to say, ‘It’s not working for me.’ ’’

Melissa Studzinski, vice president of customer relationship management for CVS, said she sees SavingStar as one more tool for users of the chain’s popular loyalty program to save money.

“It doesn’t take away from what the program already gives them,’’ Studzinski said. “It’s an add-on. For those that are interested, it’s only going to create more value.’’

Rochon said SavingStar is targeting people who are already avid coupon users, and those who view paper coupons as a nuisance.

Clipping paper coupons is “old and it’s archaic,’’ Rochon said. “It’s served its purpose.’’