Foursquare now lets merchants promote their in-store events

Foursquare, a social network centered around places, is now helping the neighborhood bars, restaurants, bookstores, and coffee shops of the world get the word out about their in-store events.

The startup today gave merchants the option to add their own special events. Events previously just allowed members to check in to major sporting events, movies, or concerts.

The idea is to help businesses better promote their unique offerings. Events also allow customers to share, via check in, that they’re not just visiting a venue, but experiencing something special.

“The goal of our whole suite of business tools is to give business owners better ways to communicate with customers when they’re nearby,” a Foursquare spokesperson told VentureBeat. “We think of local updates, specials, etc. as a sort of digital chalkboard — a mobile version of the sandwich boards businesses often put out on the sidewalk — and today’s launch just enables businesses to share even more information with potential customers via Foursquare. ”

The new addition may sound trivial, but the existing events functionally appears to be resonating nicely with the startup’s 25 million registered users.

“Concerts, sporting events, and movies are some of our most checked into categories, so we expect the response to this launch to be positive, too,” the rep said.

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