Yelp takes on foursquare with Check-in Offers

User review and local search solutions provider Yelp introduced Check-in Offers, a location-aware service enabling business owners to reward consumers with mobile coupons for entering their stores, restaurants and bars and sharing their location with friends. Evoking similar smartphone check-in solutions from startups like foursquare and Gowalla, Check-in Offers (available in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Ireland) extends the existing Yelp for Business Owners platform--merchants can offer either "Use It Now!" coupons that expire within a few hours or "Save It!" deals that are stored on the user's phone and redeemable anytime.  

Yelp averages about 38 million unique visitors per month--users have written more than 12 million local business reviews to date. Its iPhone and Android applications synchronrize with both Facebook and Twitter, making it easy for consumers to share recommendations and location information.

Despite the hype around location-based check-in services, few consumers are actively embracing the possibilities. According to recent Pew Research Center report, only 4 percent of online adults in the U.S. are using check-in services on their phones, and just 1 percent are using them every day.

For more:
- read this Yelp Official Blog entry

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