Management Tip of the Day: Make use of customer check-ins

BOSTON (Reuters) - Some retailers are successfully leveraging location-based mobile tools like Foursquare to outsmart the competition, says Harvard Business Review.

The Management Tip of the Day offers quick, practical management tips and ideas from Harvard Business Review and HBR.org (http:\\www.hbr.org). Any opinions expressed are not endorsed by Reuters.

"New technologies allow companies to attract, reward, and engage customers in new ways. For example, with location-based mobile tools, customers can check in to a store and show their contacts that they've been there. These tools are meant to be playful and fun, and can create free buzz for a retailer.

Here are two ways to use them:

1. Make creative offers. Giving people a $1 off for checking in is boring and predictable. Offer a donation to a local charity for every check-in on a certain day or ask customers to post pictures of themselves in your store to earn a discount.

2. Reward the 'mayors.' People who have the most check-ins earn the title of mayor. Encourage frequent visits by giving them perks: Allow them to cut a long line or get a prime parking spot."

- Today's management tip was adapted from "Five Foursquare Tactics to Attract Customers" by Carmine Gallo.

(For the full post, see: here)