Are check-ins dead?
The case for:
According to a survey from youth agency Dubit, 48% of teens have not heard of Facebook Places, Foursquare, Gowalla and SCVNGR. Some 58% of those who did know what they were still did not use them because they ‘did not see the point’.
According to compete.com, Foursquare’s web traffic has declined by 50% over five consecutive months. Check-ins per day have dropped from 0.5 per person to 0.4, despite boasting a user increase from 2m to 5m, suggesting millions of inactive members. And with a much bigger user base, Facebook Places check-ins are five times lower than that of Foursquare.
Echoing the sentiments of Dubit’s teens, the check in is dead because it has no point. Checking-in within a densely populated city like London may reveal long-lost friends around the corner, which is great. But in more sprawling destinations it doesn’t work.
The ‘Mayor’ game may be fun but, as with even the best games, the novelty lasts no more than two weeks. Or until you realise that you can check into the trendy café over the road without leaving your office. And that being Mayor doesn’t result in free coffee after all.
The Facebook Places product offers even less: no points or badges to win, no tips – just a flat statement telling people where you are. Outside a niche set of people who want the personal branding (or ego boost) of the check-in, most people not only don’t want to check-in, but don’t know why they should.
The case against:
Location based check-in services are far from dead; in fact they are in their infancy. It has been predicted that location-based companies will generate $24 billion worldwide (according to ABI research 2010) by 2013, so clearly we have a lot more to come in the space.
The idea of checking into places through your mobile is still new a concept to most people. Concerns around security and privacy have been raised and the notorious argument for check-in fatigue is well known. The main question is “why bother?” or “what’s in it for me?”. Essentially, the reason for users to check-in is that it gives users the opportunity for companies to reward their custom/loyalty and spread the word. Even if companies themselves are only just starting to realise this.
We are on the cusp of Facebook deals being rolled out fully in the UK. This means that when users check-in to places they will be offered a deal, say a free coffee at Starbucks. This will be posted on their profile for all their friends to see. Facebook is the location-based service with the biggest attraction, with UK Facebook numbers now reaching 30 million. With even a small percentage of these using Facebook Places, we’re looking at a big number. However, because Facebook Places was rolled out without the Deals function, it’s easy to see why some think checking in is pointless. Until Facebook Deals starts to promote its check in for deals function, we will see slow growth.
Foursquare has always incentivised check-ins to earn badges, alert users to special offers in their area and promote ‘Mayorships’. ‘Mayorships’ recognize and reward the individual who is most loyal to an outlet. The latest addition is ‘Specials’ which is very similar to Facebook deals and gives local offers to anyone that checks in. The likes of Gowalla only offer badges at this stage – so in order to generate sign ups they really need to up their game
In reference to check-ins with the teen market – I’m sure if Justin Bieber or lady Gaga asked them to check-in to their O2 gig, more of them would know about check-ins!
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Posted by the7stars
Everyone loves their local. Everyone loves a deal. Global Radio (owner of the national Capital and Heart radio stations) has taken these two facts, had a bit of a think, and is now gearing up to launch a new local daily-deals service.