CAUTION: Loyalty cards are going mobile. Companies such as Foursquare, Loopt Star, and Gowalla have officially turned cell phones into a one-on-one marketing device, simply rewarding you for checking in at places and doing things you already do. These apps allow companies to make current customers more loyal by encouraging frequent visits, while enticing new consumers with deals and savings available on their cell phones.
Mobile loyalty cards should be much more effective than physical loyalty cards or other digital campaigns in creating an individual connection with the consumer. Because the consumer does not receive any coupons he or she does not request, a company can create customized couponing based on where and what each person checks in doing.
Although it may take some time for people to get comfortable publicizing their location, coupons and deals at Starbuck’s, Macy’s, American Eagle, Gap, local bars and restaurants, and many more may give them just the shove they need to become believers.