Facebook Check-in Deals launches in SA
September 5, 2011 by admin
Filed under Latest Lingerie News
Facebook Check-In Deals enables users to claim special discounts or rewards by “checking in” to particular stores or locations using their GPS-enabled smartphones.
“South Africa is a natural market for this – we are massive users of Facebook on our phones,” says Adrian Hewlett of Habari Media, Facebook’s local sales partner. “There are 4.25 million active users in South Africa, of whom 3.1 million access Facebook through their mobiles. Another 425,000 check in to various places weekly.”
Hewlett says that unlike Facebook Deals, which has just closed after a four-month test in the US only, Check-in Deals concentrates on “connecting a company’s Facebook presence with its real-world presence”.
“It offers marketers a way to reward loyal customers and attract new ones, all by using the power of location-based services,” adds Hewlett. “Check-In Deals will only be visible to people in the immediate vicinity, and only if they actively check in, so there is a high level of customer engagement”.
Hewlett notes that Check-In Deals have an advantage over group buying schemes in that business can decide on their own deals – there is no insistence on deep discounts – and on to whom and for how long to offer them. “Customers can also redeem deal coupons instantly, without waiting for a deal to close. It’s very much personalised, one to one marketing, with a focus on building loyalty,” he says.
This flexibility is one of the major attractors for Facebook Check-In Deals, says Avis Digital Channels Manager Yoav Techelet. “It gives us the flexibility to offer more personalised and exclusive deals to our Facebook fans.” Avis will offer a range of personalised deals to customers when they check in to collect a reserved vehicle.
Four types of deals are available: Individual deals for one-off promotions, loyalty deals that can be claimed after a certain number of check-ins, friend deals for groups and charity deals in which the business donates to a charity for each check-in.
Chevrolet South Africa is the first to offer a charity deal, donating R1,000 to the General Motors Child Life Foundation for every 100 check-ins to one of its dealerships. The company is also offering R13,000 off the purchase price of the Chevrolet Spark Lite L, while stocks last, to customers who check in to a dealership from September 1st. “We love the idea of being able to reward existing Chevrolet owners by donating to charity on their behalf, as well as offering discounts to new and returning customers,” says Peter Ririe, Marketing Operations manager for Chevrolet. “It’s all part of maintaining good relationships with our customers over the long term.”
Cell C is offering two deals on 24-month Casual Chat 100 contracts, which include 100 off-peak minutes per month. The first, at R129 per month, includes a Nokia C3 handset, a 7.2Mbps USB speedstick and 2GB of data per month for the 24 months.
The second, for just R99 per month, includes a Nokia E5 handset, a 7.2Mbps USB speedstick and 3GB of once-off data valid for 365 days. “These are great deals and we’re excited about our partnership with Facebook,” says Simon Camerer, Executive Head of Marketing, Cell C. “We’re now able to use mobile media to encourage face-to-face interactions in our stores, which goes towards building high-quality relationships.”
The launch partners have the exclusive right to carry the Facebook Check-in Deals logo until November, when the doors will be thrown open to other businesses.
“Any business with a Facebook page will be able to create its own deals quickly and easily through Habari Media,” says Hewlett. “It’s a great way to generate awareness, get feet in the door and build loyalty – and for the moment it’s free. We’re expecting to see rapid uptake especially in urban areas.”
