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Are mobile check-ins losing steam?

With the explosion of location-based services that go beyond just sharing one?s whereabouts, is it possible that check-ins have lost their novelty?

The fact that Gowalla recently repositioned itself as a city guide and abandoned check-ins altogether might be evidence of that.

?As device-location awareness became ubiquitous in conjunction with soaring smartphone usage, the novelty of announcing exactly where you are and what you are doing wore off,? said Wilson Kerr, Boston-based mobile consultant.

?Discovering and downloading some new service to check-in is far less appealing than simply doing so on Facebook, a service most Americans access every day,? he said. ?By adding Places, Facebook singlehandedly torpedoed stand-alone services like Gowalla and foursquare.?

Checking out
By repositioning itself as a city guide, Gowalla was able to change its focus from a game-centered offering to more of a service for consumers.

Additionally, foursquare?s recent launch of events makes the service more focused on giving consumers additional content than just simply checking in.

According to Mr. Kerr, one of the challenges the check-in industry has faced is making sure that people were actually at the places they checked into.

?Walking by a business allowed consumers to check in just as well as going in and buying something,? Mr. Kerr said.

?The pivots we are seeing toward more common services is a direct result of their original models never achieving critical mass, regarding the number of users,? he said.

The Gowalla iPhone app

Additionally, rewards and incentives are not as relevant to consumers because of the increase in mobile daily deals.

With every company offering location-based rewards and services, companies have started making check-ins more targeted and personal.

?We are seeing a move towards micro-networking and personal networking in location-based services,? said Henry Vogel, president/CEO of Apptera, Sunnyvale, CA.

The move to more personal location-based services follows the same pattern as the Web, which has also slimmed down content to give users only what is most relevant to them via social networks and blogs.

Additionally, Mr. Vogel believes that if daily deals and location services do not become more tailored to users? preferences, they will eventually wear out.

Hot target
Companies who want to tap into location-based services need to think of new ways to target consumers besides a simple check-in.

Scavenger hunts are an example of a location-based service that goes beyond a simple check-in and let consumers share their location to win prizes.

?Scavenger hunts are a great way to engage consumers when they are out and about already,? said Vivian Rosenthal, founder/CEO of GoldRun.

Additionally, scavenger hunts can be tied to physical rewards to entice consumers.

For example, GoldRun recently helped a company run a campaign with a toy store where consumers could win gifts for completing the scavenger hunt.

Scavenger hunts might be a successful way for brick-and-mortar retailers to leverage mobile, but companies need to remember to keep it simple.

?Make sure the scavenger hunt is easy and fun, and don?t make consumers go too far out of their way to participate,? Ms. Rosenthal said.

?It is critical to make sure that the hunt follows the paths of consumers? daily life and does not pull them too far out of their habits,? she said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York