• New York Times, Tuesday, August 17, 2010 10:38 AM

Stephanie Clifford writes about a new smartphone app called Shopkick that dispenses deals and deposits "kickbucks" reward points in shoppers' accounts as they move into and around retailers such as Macy's, Best Buy, Sports Authority and American Eagle Outfitters, as well as mall operator Simon Property Group.

Shoppers can redeem the points for gift cards at the retailers or use them for music downloads or credits toward Facebook games. A $5 gift card at American Eagle currently requires a lot of kickbucks, however -- 1,250 to be precise.

Shopkick tells retailers when users are inside, as well as just near, a store. Consumers can earn a few shopbucks just for "checking in"; substantially more for actually entering the threshold. But retailers can limit the actual number of eligible visits each day.

"Will it lift sales? That remains to be seen," says Forrester research analyst Sucharita Mulpuru, "but everyone is eager to experiment."

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