My
story begins on January 5, 2010 when I tapped my first Foursquare check-in at a
Skyline Chili and ends today ... 60 days since my 5,000th (and last) check-in
on Foursquare. Since that last check-in, I've had daily urges to whip out my
iPhone and tap that Foursquare icon. I know I should move the icon from its
coveted position on my home screen and maybe even bury the icon in my
"elephant graveyard" folder labeled "Infrequent." But alas,
one day at a time.
I'm many years past the millennial classification that is
normally tagged as the mobile generation, but ever since I got my first PC back
in 1986 - an AT&T 6300 with a whopping 10 MB hard drive - technology has
been my passion. Never really been much of a "gamer," but my
technology exploration quest inevitably led me to mobile and its never ending
plethora of apps. So, in early 2010 I stumbled upon Foursquare and my check-in
addiction got started.
If you've gotten this far in the post, I will assume that you
know a little something about Foursquare so I will skip any major app overview.
But in short, Foursquare leverages location, recognition, gamification, and
rewards to engage users of their app.
Location today is very different than in the early days of
Foursquare. Today, it is rare to try and check-in to a location on Foursquare
and not find a listing for the business. Back is 2010 I remember regularly
adding locations and admittedly enjoying the process. The feeling of helping to
add to the merchant ecosystem for some reason was a thrill. At one time I was
not only adding new listings in Foursquare, but also in Gowalla ... an early
Foursquare competitor that fell by the wayside.
It's the other three elements of Foursquare - Gamification,
Recognition, and Rewards - that finally lost their luster for me and had me
turn my mobile behavior around. In retrospect, I think my realization of a need
for a change started around the time that Foursquare released their companion
app Swarm. This required me to start the check-in process on Foursquare but
then complete the process through Swarm ... still scratching my head on that
one. And hey, 5,000 check-ins on Foursquare and no fireworks, no new badge, no
recognition? What's up with that?
Then, mysteriously, Mayorships disappeared! Eliminating my
subconscious (and silly) thoughts that telling a business that I was the mayor
of their establishment elevated my standing in their eyes. The few times I
tried to mention my mayorship status I got the obvious reaction of "What's
Foursquare?" BTW, Mayorships returned in June 2015 but that part of
the addiction grip wasn't strong enough to suck me back in. With the return of
this self-aggrandizement enabler came some weird tinkling coins that were
awarded in various denominations when you check-in. Still, I can't figure out
what I'm supposed to do with the 1,408 coins in my account?
But probably the biggest contributor to my check-in recovery was
finally realizing that after 5,000 check-ins I maybe got, at best, 3 rewards
pushed my way ... a free dessert, a $5.00 off special, and something else so
inconsequential I can't even remember it. I think where Foursquare really
messed up was in not enough engagement with their merchants, letting them know
how to claim their business, and then educating them on how to use the platform
to build their business.
Many of the local retailers I frequent have implemented loyalty
programs like Belly and Flok that actually reward me for my patronage. I
started to begin seeing the light! Heck, even a local sports bar - with a
Chicken Philly to die for - started rolling out the Flok program. In the 3
months I've been in their loyalty program, I've received a free sub on my
birthday, a free soft drink for joining the program and a $2.00 off reward that
miraculously appeared when I drove by the location. I frequently receive push
notifications keeping me engaged with specials that ride along with the Cavs
games that are happening.
So there you have it, mobile check-in addiction can be overcome
if you honestly evaluate the question ... what value are receiving? If your
answer is "very little," take a look around for what mobile loyalty
programs your local retailers are using and take that first step towards
rewards. Smart phones are ubiquitous now and retailers have noticed this and
are quickly shifting from old-fashioned plastic card programs to mobile
loyalty. Get rewarded, get recognized and have fun!
