Last month, a story on Ad Age reported only 5% of online Americans use location apps like Foursquare. With many location-based services now automated (think Weather Channel pulling up your local forecast without entering your zip code), a quick survey around the office showed that at least 76% of us are using location apps. Apparently our definition is a bit broader as we heard back on a wide variety of apps. The following stats and recommendations are taken from the location app users in our office – enjoy!
Most Used Location Apps:
- 58% Foursquare
- 58% Instagram
- 37% Yelp
- 37% Path
- 26% Facebook Places
- 26% Groupon
Places We’re Checking Into:
- 68% Bars/Clubs/Music Venues
- 58% New Cities/On Vacation
- 58% Restaurants
- 47% Cafes/Coffee Shops
- 37% Sporting Venues
- 32% Parks/Bike Paths/Outdoor Spots
Top Motivations For Using Location Apps:
- 53% Promote Locations
- 47% To Share with Friends
- 42% Sync Photos with Location
- 37% Discounts/Coupons
- 37% To Track Distance/Record Spots
- 32% Receive Badges
Our Recommendations:
“With Path, the simple, fluid layout makes it a joy to use and it also lets you know who sees what you post and who is looking at your Path. Posts you make can also be posted to your Tumblr, foursquare, Twitter and Facebook if desired.”
-Tom, Experience Designer“I like Untappd, since I’m a beer geek. I also think part of the reason is that since Untappd is more a niche social network with a pretty specific audience (craft beer lovers), there is a little more sense of community versus blasting it out to random people that may not have as common of interests.”
-Evan, Experience Engineer“I like EveryTrail because I’m always looking to go on an adventure that only locals know about. EveryTrail’s community is full of outdoorsmen with a passion for telling stories about their experiences.”
-Brent, Digital Strategist“I’ve been using Oink as opposed to Instagram recently, also a location-based app. I was using Instagram to snapshot what I was eating, or a sunset every now and again. Oink is more of an Instagram mixed with Yelp – I dig it.”
-Chris, Senior Experience Designer
*Images from http://notlion.github.com/streetview-stereographic/