Now local businesses can offer check-in deals to their frequent customers, directly through Yelp. This measurable way of rewarding your loyal customers can be a great way for you to attract new ones as well. Because user check-ins auto-post by default to Twitter and Facebook, so by giving discounts for check-ins, you’re taking advantage of your customer’s network and their promotion of your business within it.
The infrastructure all takes place within Yelp. As a business owner, you simply set up your offers within Yelp.com itself. And what happens when a consumer checks in to unlock your offer? The consumer can click ‘Use it Now!’ on their phone and the business owner can verify it and credit the customer.
While Yelp is currently a terrific resource for local user reviews, allowing businesses to easily create check-in incentives might be what it takes to push Yelp to the front of the GPS check-in market as well.