The ability to provide a Google check-in offer is now live. The feature has been added to the Offer coupon creation option in the Google Places dashboard and a detailed help file has been added to Places for Business Help area. Google describes the process as follows:
Allowing customers to check-in when they redeem offers
If your customers have to visit your locations in order to do business with you, you can request that they check-in on
Google Maps for Mobile before they redeem your offer. To check in to places, users first sign in to Google+. They can choose to share the check-in publicly or with some of their circles, which helps spread the word about your business within their circles on Google+. They can also choose to keep their check-in private and still redeem an offer.
If your customers do not have to visit your location, for example if you serve homes or businesses by delivery or by callouts, you can keep this option off (set to “No”) and customers will not be asked to check-in when they redeem offers. We use the Service Areas and Location Settings setting on your listing to determine if you have a service area for offers that have already been created. When you create a new offer, you can choose whether to allow a check-in during redemption.
How can check-ins help my business?
Check-ins are a good way to promote your business online. It’s like an online tool for word of mouth advertising. It also associates the use of an offer with your physical location which helps connect customers both online and offline.
How much does it cost to upload an offer into Google Places?
It’s free for merchants to upload an offer into Google Places.
Will other people see my customers’ check-ins to my business?
Your customers will choose who see their check-ins on Google+. If check-ins are public, anyone can see them. If check-ins are shared with a circle, a smaller group such as the family or coworkers will see them. If check-ins are private, only the customer can see them.
If I ask users to check-in when they redeem an offer, do people have to check-in?
Customers who use Google products that support offers and check-ins (currently Google Maps for Mobile on Android) will have to check-in when they redeem an offer. Customers can choose which circles they share their check-in with.
Which products can ask users to check-in?
Currently, Google Maps for Mobile on Android will ask customers to check-in before they use an offer. Other mobile products that have offers (such as the Google Offers for Android) will soon ask users to check-in as well.
The process to create a check-in offer is very simple. Select the Offers tab in the Places dashboard and answer the last question in the affirmative:
Discussion:
Coupon offers have had a checkered past within Google Places.This is the first time since the creations of Places Offer coupons that a meaningful way to surface them has been presented. As a check-in offer they don’t really function to drive new traffic and they target customers that are already at your location. As such it makes sense to try them as a way to increase upsells and possibly to promote new services that your customer might not be aware of.
The ability for customers to share them via Google + is interesting but discovery is limited by the fact that they are only visible when a customer visits and are currently can only be seen on Google Maps for Mobile on Android. No iPhone option currently exists that I know of.
Google + is only integrated to the extent that a user can share the coupon with their circles. There is no way to currently to easily promote the coupon via a business + page although it is possible.
The bottom line? Coupons may have a life yet at Google as a way to offer a more granular user shopping experience. This baby step to exposing them helps but not as much as one might hope for. There’s always tomorrow.
Please consider
leaving a comment as your input will help me (& everyone else) better understand and learn about local.
Mike,
Some of our clients take advantage of using the coupon Offer on Google Places. Does this mean that the person redeeming the offer has to have a Google + account? Many people like to print the offer and redeem it.
Thanks,
Susan
Comment by Susan Walsh (33 comments) — December 14, 2011 @ 4:39 pm
[...] connects its Google+ social network with business listings in Google Maps/Places. Mike Blumenthal first reported the check-in offers launch earlier [...]
Pingback by Google's Check-In Offers Now Live, At Least On Android Devices — December 14, 2011 @ 5:30 pm
It can only be a matter of time before they start charging for uploading offers surely? Otherwise won’t it be competing with search and draining Adwords revenue?
Maybe they’re using it as a tool to grow Google+ membership for now and that’s why you can’t redeem with a voucher…
Comment by MForce (1 comments) — December 15, 2011 @ 7:23 am
@Susan
Sorry I did not respond sooner.
The offers will work the way they always have PLUS they will work on a “Check-in” basis on the Android. To take advantage of the checkin coupon the user would need to login to Google +, have an Android and Google Maps for the Android.
Comment by Mike Blumenthal (1962 comments) — December 15, 2011 @ 3:55 pm
interesting they are trying to get into the local check in space.
not to exciting though be limited to only people who have G+ and android.
they are going to have to step it up to compete with FB and Foursquare check-in products.
Comment by Matthew Hunt (77 comments) — December 16, 2011 @ 10:55 am
I’m somewhat confused… what about the poor smb’s and customers?
Comment by Andy Kuiper (232 comments) — December 29, 2011 @ 3:02 pm
So just to be 100% clear – you can only take advantage of the Google check-in offer if you own an Android phone — as an iphone user, I couldn’t take advantage of this feature – correct? Nor could people who have any other kind of mobile phone?
Comment by Yvonne Herbst (1 comments) — December 31, 2011 @ 7:22 am