Local updates from Foursquare

Foursquare recently added a new feature. Are you on Foursquare, and do you know what’s new?

With over 20 million users, 2 billion check-ins and over 1 million businesses using the platform, Foursquare is a wildly popular app. It’s essential for retailers to say informed of any updates and Foursquare evolutions. And if your business isn’t yet on Foursquare, it’s a good idea to sign on. The latest feature, Local Updates, allows businesses to push specials or let users know what’s going on in-store, not only when they are inside, but when they are near-by as well.

The recently launched feature lets businesses send text, photo, or special updates to users that have checked into a business at least once, that clue users into what they're offering even if they are not in the store or business.  Local Updates only lets businesses push specials when you're nearby and thus reasonably able to visit the location. There’s an opt-out feature that allows users to deactivate the feature if they want.

Foursquare is also updating their “back-end” merchant dashboard with analytics that let businesses see which updates are pushing customers to recommend the business to their friends, and, to check in themselves.

Foursquare says Local Updates is just the beginning of a bigger effort to build out tools that simultaneously benefit the businesses on its platform and the various types of users.

Retailers should be aware of these changes, as it’s a platform that can trigger more un-planned visits and greater spending overall.