.png)
Until recently, businesses who wanted to verify themselves with location-based discovery service Foursquare had to wait... and wait. The snail mail process takes anywhere from two to four weeks to complete.From there, merchants can verify that they manage the business, and can begin added foursquare specials found on the merchant platform, including Swarm, Friends, Flash, Newbie, Check-in, Loyalty, and Mayor:
Now there is a much quicker
way. For a one-time fee of $10 businesses can complete the verification process
online in just minutes after which they have full access to Foursquare's tools
and stats.Foursquare
is rolling out the new instant verification feature today, and points out that
users can still register by physical mail for free if they’d like, and that
users who are already registered aren’t required to pay anything.
According to
Mashable, "companies will start the process by submitting a phone number.
Foursquare makes an automated call to the number and records the caller's name
and the name of the business. Those who opt for instant verification are then
prompted to enter their credit card information online."
For those businesses that
can't, or don't want, to register online the snail mail option is still
available. The instant verification
option is currently only available in the U.S.
Foursquare, which presently has about 20 million users,
750,000 of which are businesses, recently celebrated it’s 3rd annual “foursquare day” on April 16th.