While services like Foursquare and Facebook Places are still being used primarily by a tech-savvy few, these types of check-in services could be poised to hit the mainstream as companies like Carl’s Jr. adopts it.
You foodies out there can laugh all you want at Carl’s Jr. and its Six Dollar Burgers but it is a mainstream organization and the company is implementing a check-in service to offer discounts and to offer loyalty rewards.
“In a nutshell, what we’re doing is dragging the antiquated punch-card type of loyalty programs into the 21st century,” said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, according to TechCrunch. “We are not only offering a GPS-driven check-in app to keep track of customer visits digitally, but we are offering guaranteed rewards, a restaurant locator, a social media interface, streaming videos, menus, nutritional information and more.”
The Carl’s Jr. initiative will start with an iPhone app that also includes a game where you can spin a virtual wheel to get various prizes. This is the largest check-in service I can think of for a fast food joint, as McDonalds was rumored to be a launch partner for Facebook Places but that never panned out.
As more and more users purchase smartphones and become more comfortable sharing their location, I believe that check-in deals will rise dramatically. Facebook just launched a free check-in deals platform and I believe this has the potential to be huge once customers and merchants wrap their heads around this.
Sure, Facebook Places isn’t as robust as Foursquare or Gowalla but the world’s largest social network has the critical mass to matter. I saw Tron Legacy this weekend (I liked it but the criticisms about it are dead on) and nearly every single trailer pointed viewers to its Facebook page. That could also happen with check-in deals in the not-too-distant future.
[Via TechCrunch, photo]
