Belly, the Chicago-based loyalty platform, is announcing its expansion to San Francisco today.
For background, the startup allows customers to check-in to a location using a physical loyalty card or mobile app which they scan via a consumer-facing iPad installed at point-of-sale. Customers can then collect points that can later be redeemed for unique rewards tailored specifically for the business in question. On the business side, Belly develops custom and unique digital loyalty programs for retailers’ stores. Merchants pay a monthly subscription, and Belly provides an iPad, physical cards and key chain tags, the consumer-facing mobile apps, marketing materials, and a backend analytics system.
Belly, which has a network of more than 4,000 merchants across 35 states, says that more than 100 businesses have signed up in the first week, and the startup expects to add a hundred more in the next week. “We can’t get locations on board fast enough,” said CEO and founder Logan LaHive.
He says that with 4,000 locations, Belly is now the largest digital loyalty platform in the market. And Belly isn’t just working on expanding to cities. Belly is testing a new beta product in Chicago called Belly Bites. Thew new offering allows local businesses to acquire new customers by sending targeted ad campaigns to specific audiences.
Since its launch in August 2011, Belly users have checked in over 4 million times. Beyond San Francisco, Belly is available in New York, Boston, Chicago, Austin, Milwaukee, Madison, Washington D.C., Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix and more. Belly has raised nearly $13 million in total funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Lightbank, and others.