Whatser Adds Merchant Push Messaging

Whatser, the location-based app, has unveiled a mobile marketing platform designed to help global brands and local businesses engage with their customers. Whatser users can collect their favourite spots, share their collections with friends and discover new places to go, based on their location and the recommendations of friends they trust. From today, when a user adds a spot to their collection, they will receive relevant offers, promotions and updates from that business. For businesses, Whatser says it offers a meaningful way to communicate with and reward regular customers to build loyalty, drive foot traffic and increase sales.

Merchants can send updates and promotions to customers who live in their city. These messages will appear as push notifications and in the user’s activity stream. Users can share the updates they receive with their friends. Additionally, merchants can send out QR code specials that can be redeemed in store. Coupon redemption will be tracked within the Whatser dashboard.

In a briefing with Mobile Marketing, Whatser co-founder Michiel Verberg told us that merchants pay a monthly fee of €8.33 (£7.35) per ‘spot’ (outlet) for the right to message Whatser users, and that 300 merchants are currently signed up the service. The app, currently available for the iPhone, has 20,000 users. Android and BlackBerry versions are in development.

The first global brand to sign up to use the platform is fashion retailer, G-Star RAW, whose brand director, Shubhankar Ray, says: “Mobile marketing has evolved beyond coupons. We want to connect to our regular shoppers in a relevant way and keep them updated when new styles arrive, and when we have special events in our stores. Whatser provides us with the ability to communicate with our customers in a way that is meaningful and creates value, which helps us build stronger relationships with them.”