What is it?
Carl Says is a free web/mobile application that is designed to work seamlessly with any check-in app such as Foursquare or Gowalla. If your not sure what a check-in app is, stop reading this and learn about them here
It’s based purely on location to provide small local businesses with a highly targeted marketing tool.
How does it work?
Every time you check in with Foursquare or Gowalla at a shop, Carl Says searches for deals that you may be interested in next. For example, Say you’ve registered with Carl Says and just checked into Mazatlan for lunch in Brentwood, TN on Foursquare. Carl Says will email, sms or Twitter DM you (your choice) with a suggestion for trying out The Perch Coffee Shop just down the street to give to give you a little caffeine that afternoon.
Why use it? Here’s a couple reasons from the consumers perspective
- Great way to discover new restaurants, shops and stores
- You can get exclusive deals only offered through this platform
- Incentive to use Foursquare because Mayorships and badges aren’t enough anymore
Image from Carlsays.com
How businesses can utilize it
This platform represents a new way to segment your customers. If you own a business thats surrounded by other businesses, you have the potential to influence all the other related businesses’ customers to visit your business. That means only the people interested in your product/service would be notified, saving you from the shotgun advertising method, and moving you to more of a permission based marketing approach. Another great thing about it is you are reaching people when they’re already out and about. It’s an easier call to action. Starting to understand the value?
A few examples
A restaurant could offer: A free appetizer, Free parking voucher or Extended Happy Hour prices and they can target people checking into office buildings, stores at the mall, service based businesses etc…
A hair salon could offer: 10% off a haircut, A free wash, A friend referral and they can attract people coming from spas, people on their lunch break and people doing mundane errands.
A clothing store could offer: an exclusive sale, special coupons, loyalty program etc and they can target anyone in the general vicinity, anyone doing errands and anyone out to lunch.
My Predictions
Take a look at these shifts in the way we consume information:
- Newspapers to Blogs
- TV to Youtube
- Radio to Itunes
- Interruption marketing to permission marketing
- Barnes & Noble to Amazon (the long tail)
- National campaigns to Hyperlocal Campaigns
What do all of these have in common? Choice.
Consumers crave the ability to choose exactly what they want. Not exactly. The other major thing the above list has in common is that not only do they want the ability to drill down and choose exactly what they want, they also want it delivered to them. Think RSS, Subscriptions, E-Newsletters, Alerts etc… Consumers are LAZY. They don’t want to have to search for the next deal; they want it delivered to them! At the end of the day (and some may disagree) consumers want to be told what to choose rather than searching for it. It’s the same reason Subway switched from design your own sandwich from scratch to choose a pre-made sandwich creation and customize it.
I think this is going to be just what all the people who aren’t sure about Foursquare need to convince them it’s worth engaging in.
I think it’s going to replace restaurant finding apps like Urban Spoon becuase there’s actually a strong initiative to use it.
I think it will attract new customers and demographics to businesses that may have never considered it before because they’ll be choosing it based on an offer they signed up for rather than reviews they looked at before leaving the house. A shift in perception.
I think the shops that continue to ignore new media, they better have a ridiculously good alternative.
What are your thoughts?
Well said, sir. My only comment is that it not only works for FourSquare, it also works with Gowalla, Twitter and assuming their API allows it – facebook. Buckle up. Check in just got interesting.
Very true. I was just trying to keep the title short but now thinking I should add it to be fair.. Thanks for pointing that out!
It’s amazing when you think about it… people getting deals within a short distance of where they are, for things they already are looking for! Plus, shopping local is always a win.
CarlSays is the add-on Foursquare and Gowalla users have been looking for.
Combining permission and convenience. It’s a win/win. Thanks for the comment!
Its about time. Who would not want to have some benefit from checking-in at spots they love? I’d much rather save some money or get a free drink than be a “mayor” and get nothing.