????LevelUp計劃第一步在紐約市50個地點開展服務(wù)，在其進行試點的城市，目前已有約250個地點配備了Android手機，以接受交易。與Groupon或Foursquare相比，這一規(guī)模還小得很，這兩家團購巨頭都進行了狂飆突進式的擴張。不過，它們也面臨著嚴(yán)重的挑戰(zhàn)。Groupon創(chuàng)始人兼首席執(zhí)行官安德魯?梅森最近寫給員工的一份備忘錄遭到泄秘。他在文件中稱，公司的巨額營銷開支是為了吸引用戶，然后“將這些注冊用戶轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)轭櫩停⒋_保顧客不斷從我們這里購物?！笨墒牵@一點說起來容易做起來難。不少報道指出，Groupon的1.15億注冊用戶中，許多人只是不斷追逐一個又一個新的優(yōu)惠，根本沒有什么忠誠度可言。

????另一方面，F(xiàn)ourSquare面臨的問題在于：本地廣告主和用戶熱情不再。數(shù)據(jù)顯示基于“簽到”的服務(wù)總體上來說受歡迎度已經(jīng)下降。根據(jù)投資公司Blair & Co.的一份報告，去年5月至11月期間，在由FourSquare和Gowalla領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的這一市場，每天使用所謂基于地理位置社交服務(wù)的用戶下降了一半。這種趨勢迫使Gowalla轉(zhuǎn)向其他業(yè)務(wù)，而FourSquare也深受威脅。后者的產(chǎn)品總監(jiān)亞歷克斯?雷諾特承認，該公司正在尋找新的互動形式，嘗試超越實體店內(nèi)簽到的模式，進而提供照片、評論和“探索”（向用戶建議可去的地點）功能。

????普瑞巴什和他的SCVNGR/LevelUp聯(lián)合團隊認為，他們已經(jīng)找到了留住用戶的解決方案。SCVNGR是FourSquare的競爭對手，它與可口可樂、青少年服飾品牌Forever 21和游戲零售商Gamestop等都有合作關(guān)系。它提供的一些社交機制可以讓用戶通過挑戰(zhàn)或其他游戲元素來獲得獎勵。比如說在唐恩都樂（Dunkin' Donuts）營銷活動期間，獎勵就包括該店的一杯免費咖啡。普瑞巴什認為，LevelUp是SCVNGR在交易領(lǐng)域的天然姐妹項目。

????LevelUp的開局并不順利。普瑞巴什承認，公司經(jīng)歷了二次發(fā)布的過程才弄清楚了癥結(jié)。該服務(wù)最初的運作方式與Groupon的折扣模式頗為相似。但是商家并不喜歡，他們認為不斷提供折扣會影響其品牌形象。“它給人們造成一種印象——合作品牌似乎正在走下坡路，”普瑞巴什說?！拔覀兺瞥鲈娣?wù)后，這種效應(yīng)顯而易見。正因為此，我們又創(chuàng)造了逆向優(yōu)惠概念?！边@種概念的基礎(chǔ)是顧客通過參與獲得獎勵和積分，而不是大打折扣，避免了折扣模式帶來的問題。

????然而，有些人并不買賬。游戲平臺服務(wù)商BunchBall的創(chuàng)始人拉賈特?帕哈里亞的批評相當(dāng)直率?！拔艺J為修改之后再重新上線這回事說明SCVNGR是個失敗的公司，”帕哈里亞稱，“我不明白它們?yōu)楹我Q(mào)然進入團購領(lǐng)域。”顯然，LevelUp并不認同這種觀點。SCVNGR自稱其9月份營收超過了去年前6個月的總和如果該公司能繼續(xù)保持LevelUp用戶每周消費兩次的習(xí)慣，普瑞巴什或許是正確的。他放言：“給我們6到9個月，屆時請見識一下我們兩項服務(wù)相互促進的效果?！?/p>

????譯者：小宇

????LevelUp is set to hit 50 locations in New York initially; there are about 250 locations equipped with the Android phones to accept purchases in its pilot cities right now. That's still a small foray when compared to the scale of Groupon or Foursquare, both of which have aggressively expanded. But, those firms face serious challenges. Andrew Mason, Groupon's founder and CEO, wrote employees in a recently leaked memo that its heavy marketing expenses were to gain users, then "convert these subscribers into customers and to make sure our customers keep buying from us." That, however, is easier said than done, as reports now suggest many of Groupon's 115 million subscribers follow deal to deal, without building any merchant loyalty.

????FourSquare, on the other hand, faces difficulties with local advertisers and numbers that suggest check-in based services have lost overall popularity. From May to November last year, when Foursquare and Gowalla led the market, the number of people using a so-called geosocial service on a daily basis dropped in half, according to a William Blair & Co. Report. That drop drove Gowalla into a different business and threatens Foursquare. Tatcompany's product chief, Alex Rainert, admitted the company is looking to new forms of engagement in an attempt to go beyond the physical in-store check-in to offer photos, comments, and "Explore" to suggest locations to its users.

????Priebatsch and his joint SCVNGR/LevelUp team think they've already found the solution to engaging users. SCVNGR, a FourSquare rival that works with brands such as Coke (KO), Forever 21 and Gamestop (GME), offers mechanics in the social space, through challenges and other game elements that can unlock rewards such as a free coffee in a Dunkin' Donuts (DNKN) campaign. Priebatsch sees LevelUp as its natural sister project in the transactional space.

????LevelUp had a rough start. Priebatsch admits the company needed a relaunch to figure it out. The product's first iteration operated closer to the Groupon discount model. Merchants didn't like the effect constant discounting had on their brand. "It created the perception that the brand might be flagging," Priebatsch says. "Once we launched it, that became apparent. That's why we created the inverted deal concept." This concept, based on participation incentives and credit, not a discount, could avoid the discounting issue.

????Some aren't buying it. RajatPaharia, founder of game mechanics platform provider BunchBall, is vocal. "[A new launch] indicates to me that SCVNGR is just a flop," Paharia says. "Jumping into that daily deal space, I don't get it." Clearly, LevelUp disagrees. If the company, which says SCVNGR revenue was greater for September than the first six months of last year combined, can keep LevelUp users at their twice a week clip, Priebatsch might be right. "Give us six to nine months, and just see how the two interplay," he dares.