News

Boloco tests LevelUp group buying service

March 22, 2011

Boston-based Boloco has partnered with new group buying platform LevelUp, a pilot program from location-based game SCVNGR. The platform offers three levels of deals to encourage guest loyalty to a business and enables consumers to “level up” for better savings each time they use the deal. Additionally, 100 percent of LevelUp’s proceeds (25 percent of total sales) from every “Level 1” deal purchased are donated to a selected nonprofit charity.

LevelUp is locally based in Cambridge, Mass., and is currently being offered to the Greater Boston and Philadelphia markets. Here’s how the deals work:

• Each time LevelUp partners with a business, a Level 1 deal to that business is offered to consumers – for instance, Boloco offered $10 worth of food for $5.
• Once the consumer buys Level 1, they then unlock access to Level 2, which offers a new deal with a bigger discount – for Boloco, Level 2 was $10 spent for $25 worth of food.
• Upon buying the Level 2, an even bigger discount is unlocked for Level 3 –$45 worth of Boloco for only $15.
• For every Level 1 deal purchased, 100 percent of LevelUp’s profits (25 percent of total sales) are donated to a charity in need. Boloco has raised more than $1,625 for Teach for America, a nonprofit organization that brings corps members to teach in low-income communities and lead efforts to make positive change in the face of public education.

Consumers can sign up for LevelUp either via email or by downloading the free app, available on iPhone and Android. The LevelUp app has a geolocation feature, so someone walking through Boston’s Copley Square can check the LevelUp app on their phone and immediately see the Boloco deal because of its nearby location. They can then activate the coupon and show the QR code on their phone to the Boloco cashier to instantly receive a discount.

“LevelUp fits perfectly with our core principals. We’re able to offer our guests a chance to explore our unique menu over multiple visits and at the same time raise money and spread awareness for a nonprofit in need, Teach for America,” said Boloco CEO John Pepper. “We have up until now avoided any form of group buying programs where we simply gave away a large discount. LevelUp has changed the playing field, and we loved being the first business in their launch line-up.”