Walgreens has always been on the cutting edge of tech and social media. They do a splendid job of mixing new media into their marketing strategy—better than most U.S. companies.
They have been huge foursquare advocates from the get-go, so it only makes sense that they would be the first large company to utilize foursquare specials for in-store discounts.
Their newest, and in my opinion, most innovative use of foursquare specials relies on a more archaic medium—barcodes.
Upon checking in, the user will unlock whatever the in-store special happens to be, but unlike most foursquare specials, this one doesn’t require any deciphering by the cashier. All they have to do is scan the barcode just like they would with any other print coupon. If the scanner is unable to pick up the barcode the cashier simply enters the coupon code (not pictured).
There has always been a disconnect with cashiers and foursquare specials. You hand them your phone and they look at you like you are insane. With barcodes they don’t need to understand foursquare, they just need to scan your coupon.
From a business perspective the barcode specials will provide measurable results on foursquare campaigns and prevent employees from pocketing the difference.
Back in the days of traditional couponing, shoppers would have to scour and clip all the best deals. This is time-consuming and obsessive.
Modern-day couponing is about getting coupons that you will actually use. In this case, if you are visiting Walgreens to get milk and bread, you might swing over to the snack aisle and pick up a bag of snack mix for the mere fact that you like to use foursquare specials.
Tell us what you think of Walgreens’ barcode specials in the comment section below. Do they have a place in the future of foursquare specials?
This entry was posted on March 23, 2012, 6:53 AM and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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