Foursquare ran an exciting promotion on Saturday. If you checked in at any Gap location via Foursquare, you received a 25% discount on your entire purchase. The offer was one of the largest to date open to all Foursquare users. Most discounts of that size, which are rare to begin with, have been for Mayors or users who have reached a specific check-in threshold.
Having visited a Gap store on Saturday, I can say with certainty that there was not a single mention of the unique promotion. This represents a huge missed opportunity. Both Foursquare and Gap would have gained much greater exposure had they marketed the check-in special at the point-of-purchase. For Foursquare, the company would have gained access to a mainstream audience that were likely unfamiliar with the application. Had there been POP to highlight the Foursquare application and how to take advantage of the significant discount, Gap would have made a connection with a greater number of shoppers.
The problem with what I have proposed is that it would have been nearly impossible. Gap doesn’t have any digital signage in its stores. Given the immediacy of the promotion – one that was likely cemented between Foursquare and Gap in a short period of time – the logistics of sending out static signage for a single day check-in offer would have been crazy. The cost of the endeavor would have been prohibitive.
If Gap had in-store digital signage the company would have been able to promote the Foursquare offer as soon as it was announced. Gap could have turned the promotion into an event at each one of its stores. Each store’s digital signage content could have included visualizations of Foursquare check-ins, tips from shoppers, etc. I’m 100% confident in saying that that the promotion would have gained significant shopper attention, and would have been many times more successful if Gap stores had digital signage.