FourSquare tear up and rebuild their mobile app to keep up with competitors

“Companies capture the public imagination. They become the center of attention. But it is very difficult to continue to offer an intriguing and valuable enough service for people.” ~  Susan Etlinger, Altimeter Group.
The statement above comes in the wake of new tremors at FourSquare, which suggest the pioneers of location-based check-ins on mobile devices, are desperately trying out new UI and technology approaches to keep existing and new users interested in their product.
And, to do this they are borrowing methods and strategies from another well-known startup that has become a household name: YELP.
At the center of a new technology revamp is an Explore button, which offers users suggestions on where to go based on information such as time of day, past checkins and how popular nearby places are.
Foursquare claims it is not the one-size-fits-all approach to local discovery web users has become used to. Instead, it say it’s  smart, because it’s customized based on each of your check-ins, your friends’ check-ins, and the more than 2,000,000,000 check-ins from the foursquare community.
“We founded foursquare with a pretty lofty goal: to help people make the most of where they are. It’s a hard problem to solve, and, after three years of seeing how our 20-million strong community has used the app, we’re making changes. We’ve torn the app apart and rebuilt it anew, Extreme Makeover style. Say hello to the all new foursquare,” said FourSquare.

The #allnew4sq is here! from foursquare on Vimeo.
Thousands of small business owners are using FourSquare to enhance their marketing strategies on cheap, affordable websites deployed on Midphase hosting  platforms.  Just like Facebook has opened new doors in the customer conversation, FourSquare has introduced new ways to track user behavior and introduce mobile-orientated deals.
While the revamp offers a number of changes, it’s the Explore button that is receiving most of the attention, offering a wide array of features.
“You can also use Explore to browse popular categories, or find something specific, like ‘free wi-fi’ or ‘dumplings.’ Again, we’ll personalize the results for you based on where you, your friends, and people with your tastes have checked in. It’s the perfect tool for planning a night out or a week-long vacation,” said FourSquare.