A Quick Look at Location-Based Developer Loopt

Five year old location based developer Loopt doesn't get as much press as newer entrants like Foursquare and Booyha's MyTown. But the company reports an impressive four million users, and is hard at work on adding features to its own location based apps, as well as striking branded deals to entice users. Loopt has four big apps. The original, simply called Loopt, helps users share and broadcast locations and updates. Loopt Pulse is a rich iPad version, less mobile than its siblings, while Loopt Mix is for meeting new local friends. Then there's Loopt Star, the most similar to today's other successful location-based apps, with a focus on finding nearby deals and rewards. Star can be thought of "like a virtual loyalty card," according to co-founder Alok Deshpande. A recent deal with brick-and-mortar store Paul Frank, for instance, had users check-in for a 20 percent discount on purchases. Actions within the app can also grant badges and points, which are tracked against the user's Facebook friends who also have the app. The gaming elements are important, says Deshpande, but have to be balanced with tangible rewards. "We launched the app with a couple gaming features and continue to add more in the way awards are structured and the interactions you can have with friends, but we still have real world applicability," says Deshpande. The gaming elements are a catalyst to make the social features and winning rewards better." One key to transferring user attention toward location apps when they're out is offering the unexpected, like a promotion at a bar within a limited window of time. "There's more spontaneity [to Star] than coupons, which need a long lead time," says Deshpande. "And spontaneity is a lot of fun -- people like the element of surprise." Of course, what Loopt really needs is scale, both with users and partners. Right now, both Loopt and the other location-based apps have multiple partnerships with big brands, but less traction with the thousands of local businesses that might find value in participating. Early this year, TechCrunch reported that Facebook was checking out Loopt, possibly with an acquisition in mind; however, nothing seems to have come of that, at least yet. Meanwhile, it seems more likely that Facebook will introduce a federated system allowing Loopt and other location-based services to syndicate check-ins to users. So for now, Loopt should have much the same strategy as its competitors: working to gain ever more visibility, until location-based apps can finally break into the mainstream.

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A Quick Look at Location-Based Developer Loopt

Chris Morrison

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Chris Morrison