Topi: Foursquare upstaged by a French app ?

The story

After 13 years working in the US, from IBM to Google, David Aubespin, a French entrepreneur, is launching a new location-based social networking website for mobile devices.  After a few month of trial thanks to a Beta Version in France, the French “antelope” (ed. Topi is a highly social and fast antelope),  Le Web 2011 semi-finalist, will be launched in the USA in May.

“After taking into account French users advices, we are launching a complete version in May in the United States, a promising market because people in the United States are very fond of meeting new people from a professional and personal point of view” explained David Aubespin to French Morning Blog.

What is Topi ?

Topi is a location-based social networking website for mobile devices, such as smartphones helping you to meet people in a specific context. By synchronizing professional with personal information from the other Social Media platforms, the geolocalization feature connects people according to their interest. Considered as a mix between Foursquare, Facebook and Linkedin, the start-up did not find a business model yet. However, it seems that the company business model will be based on targeted non-intrusive geolocalized adds. David Aubespin believes that 2012 will be a “SoLoMo” or “Social Local Mobile” year and states that friendly devices adds potential is huge.

“Our goal is to offer the best add at the best moment, at the best place and to the best person”

The company is already under the spotlights of several companies. If it is a full of promise start-up, it will take time before reaching the 20+ millions Foursquare users. However, Foursquare should be careful about the social and quick antelope.

The application will be first available on iPhone and Droid and will be soon on Blackberry and Windows phone.

Foursquare and Politics

In the second round of the 2012 French presidential election, the actual president and candidate Nicolas Sarkozy launched a Foursquare operation to attract potential electors to its campaign venue. All the users that check-in at Nicolas Sarkozy’s venue were offered “Carla and Nicolas” limited series of “petit sables” (French traditional cake). Within a few hours, already 439 check-ins were posted.

 

What do you think of this social media campaign?

The Foursquare Day

FOURSQUARE celebrated on April 16, 2012, the Foursquare’s official Foursquare Day (4sqDay) and aims at thanking all its users.

Fourwhere

Who are the Foursquare users ?

FOURSQUARE is primarily a network of “early adopters” and fans of new technologies, with 20 million members worldwide. About 60% of the users are located in. the U.S. and 40% of them are outside the U.S.
The mainly represented population is the 21-34 year-old males (54% against 46% for women), single and students.

Difference in usage: Example of French users

Foursquare is still largely unknown in France. The French do not see the point to “spy on” their friends or to tell them they’re shopping.

However, among the current French members, the main represented population is the 18-34 age group, and especially the males with 76%. If half of the users are Senior executives, one fifth are students.

The iPhone is the most used devices with 60% of the market shares, far off the Android operating system.
Basically Foursquare users are also active on other social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkledIn.

In September 2011, a study was launched by Nice to meet you to study the platform success in France and the results allowed drawing the typical user profile in the country : a 28 year-old man, executive, living in Paris and owning an iPhone.

Typical user profile in France :

• Age: 28 years old
• Sex : Male
• Job : executive or intellectual profession
• City: Paris
• Smartphone (device used) : iPhone

Consumer Behavior

Here are the main motivations and advantages for using Foursquare : (in order of usage preference)

• Collect points, badges and become a Mayor !
• Inform my contacts of the places I go to
• Know where my contacts are checked-in
• Discover new places based on my contacts’ reviews
• Enjoy a local deal
• Just because I’m curious, I hear a lot about Foursquare
• Follow and get tips about my favorite companies, brands, celebrities…

The average Foursquare user has between 5-8 friends.
“Which is great, because it is so much lower than the Facebook number. That is what we want. Facebook is like everyone you have ever made eye contact with in your entire life. Foursquare is the people you see at a bar and don’t avoid.” – Denis Crowley, co-founder of Foursquare

Source : http://enquete-foursquare.ntmy.fr

You may also want to check out why french users are not so fan of Foursquare.