As the people behind Foursquare, this week’s Miva Merchant store spotlight know, we live in a culture dominated by technology. According to Mashable, 82% of U.S. adults are cell phone users, and 1 in 4 use mobile applications on their phones.
Imagine if there were any easy way for all of these people to share information about their favorite stores, restaurants, and other businesses with their friends via a mobile app. Since the first version was developed in 2008, Foursquare has been allowing people to do exactly that.
Users can use the location-based check in application to “check in” to listed businesses, let their friends know where they are and who they are with, and earn points for each check-in. The more check-ins they acquire, the more points and badges they can earn. The app also allows users to track their check in history and play interactive games that test their knowledge of the businesses that they frequent the most.
When Foursquare needed help creating an online store front, they turned to Sigler Companies to design and build it. Sigler then turned to Miva Merchant as its ecommerce store solution.
“We selected Miva Merchant as our primary e-commerce solution because of its scalability, security, and customer convenience,” says Sigler Companies Operational Analyst Matt Hugen. “We have built several stores on the Miva Merchant Platform so familiarity certainly had something to with our decision.”
“Our in-house programmers can easily work with Miva Merchant’s module offerings, which has provided us a great deal of flexibility and freedom in creating online stores. It also ties into our existing MIS system, which is a big plus,” added Hugen.
With the help of Miva Merchant, fans of Foursquare can purchase merchandise or “swag” online, including stickers, t-shirts, hoodies, badge stickers, and logo stickers featuring the Foursquare logo and unique graphics.
Currently, the store carries a selection of 9 items at a time. The selections change and rotate periodically, allowing repeat shoppers the opportunity to discover new products.
“It needed to work on our end,” says Hugen of Sigler’s search for the right Foursquare ecommerce solution. “But it also needed to be easy for customers to get what they wanted as well. Features are great, but without a slick shopping experience, you risk abandoned carts.”
As of December of 2010, the number of Foursquare users worldwide numbered over 5 million.
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