Businesses that haven’t yet claimed their listing on Foursquare, the geo-location check-in and recommendation mobile app, may want to do so pronto. Foursquare will give the one million businesses that have already verified their listing on the service fast-track access to customers via new “local updates” messaging.
Through the local updates tool, businesses can send messages to a pool of users pinpointed by Foursquare’s algorithm based on a user’s check-in frequency, geographic location, and type of businesses he or she has praised by hitting a like button.
For instance, the New York City Parks Department has claimed its listing. It will use Foursquare’s local updates to send text alerts to users who are nearby and have expressed an interest in the city’s 1,250 parks.
The updates are shown in the “Friends” tab of the Foursquare app, which is free to download for iPhone, Android, and other platforms.
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About Sean O'Neill
This sounds pretty big: ‘localized branded push messaging’ or whatever you want to call it. No small feat from a tech standpoint either.
I’m curious to see how it pans out on an emotional level though. Targeted ads hmm okay, localized targeted ads, only if really useful otherwise just plain creepy.
Geert-Jan
Yes, it seems pretty big, too. And interesting that Foursquare has pivoted to a recommendation service even for mobile users not keen on check-in, while simultaneously fending off Facebook’s feeble attempt to steal their “check-in” business.
Will be interesting to watch