Yotomo App to Add QR and NFC Next Week, Daily Deals in Future

Indonesian location-based app Yotomo plans to release a new QR and NFC scan feature in its mobile app on August 10, and the startup also disclosed its plan to get into Groupon-style daily deals in the future.

With the new scanning feature, Yotomo aims to cooperate more with business partners such as cafes, restaurants, and wellness services.The new feature will enable users to check-in to such places using NFC chips and QR codes available at selected merchants.

Users equipped with a smartphone and Yotomo app can locate NFC (if their phone supports it) or QR symbols located on tables or at the cashier (pictured below, left). Now users can rack up points through traditional check-ins, NFC, and QR code check-ins, as well as social network shares. The points can then be redeemed for available rewards from the merchants.

Yotomo aims to replace old customer retention programs which used punch or stamp cards. If you look at the other picture (above, right), you will notice that there is information on how many points were collected specifically at that venue. That feature can be used by merchants to give away special prizes for total points specifically collected at the merchant’s venue.

Wahyudi, the co-founder of Yotomo, tells us that it now has around 14,000 active users, an increase of more than fifty percent since we last talked four months ago. He added that Yotomo has had 130 business outlets using the location-based ads platform so far. Yotomo hasn’t struck any agreements yet for his points reward program [1], but targets around 50 strategic outlets in the coming months.

The new app feature will be available on Android and Blackberry. When speaking to DailySocial, Wahyudi said that he also plans to develop iOS and Windows Phone versions. You can see more on Yotomo’s new deals feature in the video below.

Yotomo seems very much focused on beating the ongoing decline of other similar location-based apps like Koprol and Bouncity – and the future deals are a major part of that fightback. Wahyudi also explained that they are looking to integrate Telkomsel’s TCash payment system and implement augmented reality technology for the new feature.