The findings of a recent study conducted by Pew Internet and American Life indicate that marketers will have increased access to location-based consumer data due to the rise in mobile users who broadcast their location using “check-ins.” The findings of the study are illustrated in an article by the online news source, eMarketer Digital Intelligence, which reveals the effects geolocation, the geographical location indicated by satellite, will have on how marketers reach consumers.

The article stated that the adoption of location-based check-ins by social networks was intended to increase commerce for local businesses by providing them with an abundance of location data. Marketers can then implement the consumer check-in data into their geo-marketing approaches. Geolocation not only shows marketers where a consumer is but what types of places they frequent and the products they are inclined to purchase.

According to eMarketer, users accessing social networks via mobile  are predicted to reach 85 percent by the end of 2012, which is double the number from two years ago. Social networks offer users the capability to “check-in” at specific locations, including restaurants, stores, hotels, businesses, parks, and museums. The information users provide allows marketers to send consumer specific advertisements and “push” notifications that target the interests and tendencies of the consumer.

A report from Forbes stated that there are numerous benefits that come from utilizing data from geolocation analytics; marketers can pinpoint “hotspots” and discover the distance consumers are willing to travel from their current location. With the increased amount of data available through the growing number of mobile “check-ins” marketers can further analyze and explicitly direct their business to the most promising consumers.

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