
Loopt: Turning Consumer Loyalty Into a Cellphone Game - pg
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/technology/01loopt.html?src=busln
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thinkcomp
You can get rid of a lot of the cards you carry in your wallet or on your
keychain with FaceCash (<http://www.facecash.com>), too. We support 30
different account programs right now, from FedEx to United Airlines.

<http://www.thinklink.com/media/iphonesouthwest.png>

And it's a payment system, which is the actual point of the app.

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talbina
Simple question: How come Loopt did not receive the media attention that
Foursquare has been receiving in the past year with regards to location based
mobile services...considering they are very similar?

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studioprisoner
Maybe because the other Loopt services were not put out there as much as
Foursquare were when they launched down at sxsw.

The new Loopt service though does look alright. I don't like how you have to
register through Facebook though, as the article explains. Looks like the app
is only available in the US as of now.

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gojomo
Today, cellphone-as-loyalty-card. Someday soon: cellphone-as-official-
government-ID. Your IMEI may be as important as your DL# or SS#.

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jmtame
i'm looking forward to the day the cell phone kills the wallet. it's a matter
of time. people will ask "you used to carry a plastic card with you that you
swiped?" like we thought it was silly to carry around checkbooks and write
cashiers a check.

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rjett
What hurdles need to be cleared before this can be done? I know that CCD and
Camera based barcode readers can read a barcode off of a screen so how hard
would it be to generate a unique barcode for each card in your wallet and just
scan your cell phone if you wanted to make a purchase somewhere?

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gojomo
Barcode versions of existing CC numbers would be a simple and direct port...
but think of the possibilities where your 'card' is now an internet-connected
app (rather than just an account number). Perhaps your phone receives (by
camera-scan/bluetooth/etc) the payment request, then the app approves/records
the purchase.

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jrockway
Do loyalty programs really work? I know they work for the airlines, but that's
because the airlines have really cool stuff to give away that you would
normally be unable to afford. And they don't lose any money giving that stuff
away; if nobody buys that first class seat, it's going out empty. Might as
well let one of their best customers have it for free, in that case.

But for coffee shops or grocery stores, what are they going to give me for
being loyal? A free cup of coffee? Yay. That would have cost me fifty cents to
make for myself at home...

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acgourley
I feel like people spend irrational amounts of energy on possible future
rewards. I don't want to offend anyone by naming specific examples, but some
people definitely undervalue their time.

I think a more interesting question is: how will people value the exposure of
their shopping habits to their social graph? If people are not revolted by it,
there is going to be big money in enticing people to advertise to their
friends in exchange for discounts or VIP benefits.

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JMiao
some people also click text ads.

and watch maury povich.

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nrao123
This is so great.

I have no interest in sharing my location with my friends (4Square) but I
carry a number of cards to get discounts (the stamp on top of a square
everytime I visit kind) for my local neighborhood places including:
<http://barrosluco.com/> <http://premiumbarbershop.com/>

What can I do to get them onboard?

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jmtame
tell them to go here: <http://about.loopt.com/partners/>

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desigooner
So you can only check-in using the wi-fi connection and not the GPS location
to avoid "cheating" ..

How would one check-in if the store you're at (The Gap, Burger King) doesn't
offer free wi-fi for customers? Will the stores now equip themselves with
wireless access points just so that the users can check in?

