According to a study commissioned by digital agency Beyond, Only 17% of mobile users check-in using social location-based services like Foursquare and Facebook Places. While 48% of those avoiding these location-based apps did so because of privacy concerns, 50% just don’t have a smartphone to check-in with.
Facebook and Groupon are apparently well-trusted by many mobile users. While 90% of those who actually checkin on their mobile devices said they did so on Facebook Places, 40% who had never checked in said they would consider sharing their location with Groupon. Note that this doesn’t necessarily mean they want to share their location on a social network, but may be interested in getting discounts based on location.
On the same note, 54% of users who check in saying they are motivated to share their location when it involves getting a discount. All those fancy badges and stuff offered by services like Foursquare and Glue? Only 21% of active location sharers are motivated to check in to get them. A staggering 99% of users who don’t yet use checkin apps said badges and status would not motivate them to share their location.
“The results of this study highlights the huge changes that will take place as social location apps move from niche to mass consumer,” says Beyond CEO David Hargreaves. “Brands that can develop ‘Glocal’ social media strategies, tap into the motivations of the mass consumer and leverage the reach of the Facebook and Groupon platforms will be the real leaders in this sector.”
Living Social, Twitter, and Groupon all outrank Foursquare when it comes to non-users, with only 6% saying they would consider using Foursquare. Even among early adopters of location apps, Foursquare comes in 4th with 22% of users saying they use it.
After discounts and coupons, both early adopters and non-users of location apps seem to agree that meeting friends and learning about a location are next on the list as motivations to check in. Very useful data for those in the location game and highlights the fact that simple gaming and badges alone won’t cut it for these services to succeed.
via Mashable