Last week FB launched Facebook Deals, the new service allows “stores, restaurants and businesses to offer promotions and discounts to users of Facebook’s location tool, Places.” Using Places, users can see what offers are nearby and share them with their friends, and can claim deals by simply checking-in to a business on Places and showing the business a voucher.
Facebook was keen to emphasize that users privacy is being protected and they will not be identified to businesses:
Brands/venues/Place owners will only see how many people claimed deals and how many people checked in – similar to the way Ads works. They know how many people the ad will be shown to but not who it was shown to. [They] will not get any other information about individual people that check in on Facebook.
Deals is only available in the US at this stage, but is likely to roll out in the UK next year. Businesses looking to get started can consult a guide from Facebook, which lays out how deals can help their business, and step-by-step instructions on how to get started
