Tag: Geolocation

Foursquare to make changes for the new year

| January 6, 2013

Foursquare makes changesFoursquare aims to expand some of its services

Location-based services are becoming more popular for businesses and consumers. These services offer benefits for both parties: Businesses can use geographic information to formulate better marketing strategies and consumers can be rewarded for their loyalty to a specific company by “checking-in” to a location. Checking-in to locations is a trend that has taken the social media space by storm. Foursquare is one of the pioneers of this service in the social sector, and the platform is now taking steps to streamline its location-based services.

Platform aims to streamline its practice

Foursquare has announced changes to its terms and conditions documents, which will take effect on January 28, 2013. The social media platform is looking to better streamline its services for businesses and consumers. For years, Foursquare has been one of the most prominent names in social media marketing and location-based services, but other social networks have begun to encroach upon the platform’s virtual turf. In an effort to stay relevant with consumers and businesses, Foursquare is taking steps to provide better service.

New policies could be of benefit to businesses

One of the changes being made to the platform’s privacy policy involves the names of its users. Foursquare will begin showing the full name of each user across its entire platform, allowing this information to be seen by anyone. Users can, of course, opt out of having their full name displayed without being faced with any penalties in terms of service. Another change involves the check-in history businesses can see. Traditionally, businesses could only view check-ins over the most recent three-hour period. After the changes go live, however, businesses will be able to keep better track of their traffic.

Foursquare manages to stay ahead of the competition, for now

The changes may help businesses provide better rewards for consumers that check-in frequently, while also allowing these businesses to access information that can be used for marketing campaigns. In 2012, Foursquare reported more than 15 million new users and celebrated the 3 billionth check-in. While several other social networks are pushing new location-based services, Foursquare continues to hold a solid lead over its competitors.

Mobile sector expected to see major growth in 2013

| January 1, 2013

Mobile Sector Growth 20132013 may be a major year for the mobile sector

The coming year is expected to be very significant in the realm of mobile technology and mobile services. Over the past 12 months, more consumers have become reliant on their mobile devices in their daily lives. This has created major engagement opportunities in several industries and many companies have begun focusing more heavily on mobile consumers. In 2013, this focus is expected to become more acute on the mobile sector, especially as more companies develop services that are very specifically targeted at the mobile demographic.

Location-based marketing to begin picking up more momentum

Location-based marketing and services are expected to see a boost in 2013. More companies are beginning to see the value of engaging consumers through location-based services. Social media sites like Foursquare and Facebook exemplify this potential channel of engagement. Advertisers can use location-based marketing campaigns to great effect and consumers are all but guaranteed to engage in such campaigns because of their curiosity and their constant connection to their smart phones and tablets.

Mobile gaming to continue showing promise

The mobile sector has been attracting a significant amount of attention from the game industry. Mobile gaming is expected to take off in 2013 as well. Though the mobile gaming space is considered a crowded market by many, there is still significant financial opportunities therein. By the end of 2013, the mobile gaming market is expected to hit $9.8 billion, with the possibility that the Android platform will become the dominating force in the mobile gaming business. In-app advertising is also expected to become more prevalent as game developers find that consumers are willing to engage in such advertisements.

Mobile commerce will likely be a major focus of many companies

Mobile commerce will likely reach new heights in the mobile sector in 2013, powered by NFC technology or not. Companies like PayPal and Apple are currently looking for alternatives to NFC technology to further their goals with mobile commerce. Much of the mobile commerce space will continue to be dictated by the technology, however, as several companies in the technology and telecommunications industry have already invested heavily in the development of an NFC-based mobile commerce infrastructure.