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Facebook is reportedly rolling out a feature that allows users to scan QR codes to earn incentives to shop at nearby stores.
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Some users have spotted the Rewards feature in the More tab of the Facebook mobile app, reports TechCrunch. Facebook confirmed the feature to the tech news site, saying it has been testing ways to allow businesses to reach consumers "where they are."
The feature is designed to lure people to make purchases inside physical stores, and could also give Facebook another way to keep consumers logged in. It would also potentially earn advertising revenue from merchants promoting the Rewards feature. Merchants could also use the Rewards feature to address the growing need to support contextual commerce, or a mix of mobile shopping in and around brick-and-mortar stores.
And like most of Facebook's commerce plays, Rewards opens another venue for the company to collect actionable data about its users.
Facebook is already actively pursuing online transactions, including the use of Messenger Bots to order food on mobile apps, and collaborating with Transferwise to power foreign exchange.
A man stands and checks his Apple Inc. iPhone 6s whilst framed against an illuminated wall bearing Facebook Inc.s 'Thumbs Up' symbol in this arranged photograph in London, U.K., on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015. Facebook Inc.s WhatsApp messaging service, with more than 100 million local users, is the most-used app in Brazil, according to an Ibope poll published on Dec. 15. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
John Adams is executive editor of payments for American Banker. John interviews top executives in the payments, cryptocurrency and fintech... Read full bio
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