Foursquare Upgrades Its Business Tools With New Specials, Better Analytics

Consumers who’ve updated their Foursquare mobile apps are already using the many new features of Foursquare 3.0. Starting tomorrow (Friday, March 11), businesses that are marketing via Foursquare will also get access to a new suite of behind-the-scenes tools. Here’s a look at what Foursquare has in store for local businesses.

Foursquare For Business: What’s New

There are two primary areas where the new business tools are available: specials and analytics. Foursquare’s blog post doesn’t give much detail on the latter other than saying there’s a new analytics dashboard and a way to see statistics before, during and after campaigns. There is, however, a lot more detail on the new Specials offerings.

Foursquare Specials

Foursquare’s new specials management system will give business owners more control and new options for rewarding customers that check-in. There are a total of seven types of specials that will be available; some are aimed at attracting new customers, while others are rewards for existing customers. Here’s what it looks like on the new Specials dashboard:

Several large brands are already planning to take advantage of the new “Flash special” — Barnes & Noble will offer $10 off a NOOK Color to the first 10 people to check-in on Friday morning, while The Sports Authority will give a $20 gift card to the first person who checks in. Retailers like Coffee Bean and Radio Shack are already on board to offer “Newbie” specials for first-time check-ins.

One of the most welcome new features is bound to be the ability for business owners to run multiple specials at the same time — offering a new level of flexibility for marketing to different types of customers.

Foursquare claims that more than a quarter of a million businesses have claimed their listing on Foursquare.