Yelp Official Blog

Extending Yelp Deals to Mobile

You may remember almost a year ago, Yelp first launched our version of Deals. Today you can find Yelp Deals in your inbox in 20 metros and counting.

How’s it going? AWESOME.

That’s why we’re excited to announce the availability of Yelp Deals on iPhone and Android. Meaning that users can now search for, purchase and redeem Yelp Deals on their mobile device.

 

 

With over 50 million users accessing Yelp.com and over 4.5 million turning to Yelp Mobile in the last month, Yelp is the platform that consumers are turning to while making a spending decision. Furthermore, in some of our more active markets, we’re actually seeing just as much traffic -- if not more -- to business listings on Yelp Mobile. With the launch of Yelp Deals on iPhone and Android, we hope to help business owners target consumers when they’re searching for a business like theirs -- and of course, help those consumers find a great business, all while saving money!

 

Ages of Yelp

Yelp is way more than a great site to find a good bite to eat; turns out, Yelp has a crazy number of reviews on everything from cigar lounges to cemeteries and even the King of Cool. While we already know people are reviewing all kinds of businesses on Yelp, we recently wondered: who exactly is reviewing what? To answer that question, we looked at every business category on Yelp, and summarized what percent of reviews in each category were written by people in each 5 year age range. For example, did you know that 38% of dance club reviews were written by people between 25 and 29? Now you do!

Digging through that data, we unearthed some charts – and a little story – about what people are up to at all stages of life for a few special categories:

Let’s start from the top.

1 – Dance Clubs. Bouncer not asking for your ID? You’re in the minority it seems. Dance clubs are the category with the narrowest age range on Yelp, being reviewed almost entirely by Yelpers in their early- to mid-20s. But hey, it’s never too late to be on the prowl; a full 3% of dance club reviews come from people pushing 45.

2 - Wedding Planners. Who knew a few nights at the club could so quickly be followed by a stroll down the aisle? Wedding planners across the world are getting calls and reviews from smitten Yelpers in their mid 20s to late 30s who’re embarking on a journey of eternal love.

3 - Baby Gear and Furniture: You know what they say: first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage! Yelpers proved once and for all that the sequence of events forecasted derisively on playgrounds holds true with stunning precision. Our findings show that vendors of those literal carriages (and booties, bibs, diapers…) are frequented most often by people in their upper 20s to early 40s. To the new moms and dads, congrats! And to our newly-born yelpers, we can’t wait to read your dance club reviews in a quick quarter century.

4 - Divorce Lawyers. Cue the sad trombone. And lawyer bills. Searches and reviews for divorce lawyers on Yelp are the heaviest in the range of 30s all the way up to mid-50s. Just remember, evaluating your ongoing commitment is important, but evaluating your divorce lawyer on Yelp is mandatory.

 And hey, speaking of changes-of-heart, here’s an interesting one:

Remember that one true love “4ever” you had when you were 22? Well, so does your unamused new love, thanks to that “I Love Denise” tat on your forearm. Don’t worry, friend, looks like you weren’t the only one; while a wave of Yelpers flock to get inked at in their early- to mid-20s, another flock of Yelpers just a decade older write regretfully about their experience getting it off.

This sampling of yelping by age goes to show that local businesses are a key ingredient in life's many delights and an indispensable remedy to life's occasional misstep. Have opinions on spots in your city that you feel must be known? Write your own story. With your local community of Yelp reviewers, you're in good company.

Yelp and the "1/9/90 Rule"

When you think about Yelp, you probably think mostly about the users writing reviews. That's understandable. Our slogan does read "Real People, Real Reviews." But there's more to Yelp than reviews. A whole lot more. 

Journalist Susan Kuchinskas recently explored a little-known phenomenon in social media referred to as the "1/9/90 Rule". 

What is this rule? According to Kuchinskas, "only 1 percent of users will actively create content. Another 9 percent, the editors, will participate by commenting, rating or sharing the content. The other 90 percent watch, look and read without responding." 

Like other forms of social media, Yelp follows the 1/9/90 Rule. In other words, most people on Yelp don't write reviews; they read them. This group represents your prospective customers. They come to Yelp looking to spend. You want them to find you.

What does this mean for your business? 

The most successful businesses on Yelp won’t always have the most reviews. Generally speaking, businesses with the most page views (biggest audience) are the ones gaining the most new customers. 

What's the best way to use this rule to your advantage? 

Start by building a listing with compelling content and photos which highlight every aspect of your business. Put emphasis on enticing selling points like promotions or discounts. Target Yelp's mobile audience of nearly four million users by creating a check-in offer. Respond to your reviews -- invite your customers back, or let them know what's new with your business. In critical review situations, use the messaging tools to address customer concerns.