I wrote a post over at SEL about Google’s recent Punchd acquisition and why I think it’s interesting. Here are the nuggets:
- Punchd enables small businesses (SMBs) to run paper-like loyalty programs on via a smartphone
- The company uses GPS to protect against cheating and QR codes for redemption at the register (Google doesn’t like QR codes anymore)
- Almost nothing is unique about Punchd; but it helps to fill out Google’s SMB product suite, which has now grown beyond Places and AdWords
- Punchd signals that Google is planning to create different programs for new customer acquisition and loyalty in the future
- Punchd will provide more analytics for Google and SMBs about consumer activity in the real-world
