CIO — Corporate marketers are keen to tap into the power of location-based social services—applications that use a mobile device’s GPS to locate nearby friends and businesses. But figuring out how to use them to drive consumer behavior and top-line growth has proven challenging.
The biggest issue, says Dave Wolf, vice president of global marketing capabilities at American Express, is creating a reliable user interface while tapping into complex core systems and data on the back end. That’s what the credit card issuer is attempting with a program launched in June. Customers who link their Foursquare profiles to their AmEx cards can redeem merchant special offers without scanning codes or printing coupons. It offers users more tangible benefits to checking in than being appointed mayor, such as $10 off a $75 purchase at H&M. “In the digital space, user simplicity is key,” says Wolf. “[This is] the equivalent of embedding a coupon in your card.”... Read more.
