Category: Featured News

The two companies will also work together to provide a virtual currency service to consumers.

SocialVibe, a digital ad company, and Placecast, a location-based mobile marketing business, have just announced that they will be working together to bring together geolocation and virtual currency that can be amassed by consumers through gaming and online browsing behaviors.

This service will target mobile shoppers who are seeking retail discounts at local shops.

The partnership between these two companies marries the digital marketing platform from SocialVibe with the geofencing technology from Placecast, in order to improve and enhance the consumer experience. In order to take advantage of these geolocation technology benefits, a consumer will need to travel near to the actual physical location of the store. This will trigger the discount opportunities.

The entire geolocation discount experience is based on an opt-in program.

Within it, the consumer can choose the specific brands from which he or she would like to receive geolocation based discount alerts. Every time they opt in for a program, they use virtual currency that is connected to an online activity or social game in which he or she is participating. When that individual travels near to the brick and mortar storefront that is linked to that specific brand program, it triggers a geofence, which then sends the consumer an SMS alert. This could include anything from a reminder of the currency that has been earned to a specific discount offer.

The partnership provides a new way of interacting with consumers (through their online browsing and gaming habits), in order to develop them into a geolocation marketing strategy based on his or her physical position, which then makes offers for in store discounts and other benefits.

It is not yet known which games will be available to the consumers as a result of this new partnership. However, the technology is already being tested, said the director of business development at SocialVibe, Chris LoRusso.

The new partnership will work with geolocation technologies as well as SMS messaging, which means that it is not necessary for the user to have a smartphone provided that he or she simply opts in.

Mobile gaming appeals to a wide range of consumers

High-tech mobile devices are becoming increasingly common among consumers. Smart phones and tablets are some of the most famous consumer electronics available today, and these products are becoming more advanced as time goes on. As mobile technology advances, smart devices become more capable of astonishing visuals and can support applications that have high CPU requirements. Thus, mobile devices are beginning to reach a point where they may soon replace traditional computers, in the sense of mobile gaming.

Mobility proves to win the favor of gamers

Mobile gaming is a very popular pastime for a wide range of people. There are, quite literally, millions of mobile game applications available for mobile devices of all kinds. These games include Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies, some of the most popular games of the modern gaming era. Furthermore, mobile games are considerably less expensive that traditional games, with many console games costing $60 and PC games ranging between $40 and $80, depending on the publisher.

Spending on mobile gaming is increasing

IHS, a global research and analytics firm, suggests that spending on console gaming has declined by 20% over the past two years, while mobile gaming has taken up a significant amount of the slack. The appeal of mobile gaming largely resides in the fact that mobile devices can be used anywhere, thus giving users an opportunity to play the games they love while on the go. This versatility, coupled with the rapidly increasing capabilities of mobile devices, has been well received by a rather large demographic of consumers.

Mobile games may soon become a serious topic within the game industry

Mobile gaming may not be able to wholly replace other forms of gaming, especially as PC technology becomes more advanced and versatile, but it is certainly beginning to play a very big role in the game industry. Many gamers are eager to compare one console to another, constantly arguing for the superiority of their favored platform. Mobile gaming may soon be entered into this ongoing battle among gamers.