Snapchat launches tool to share location data with advertisers
Snapchat has released advertising tool Snap to Store - online to offline conversions - from beta, after a successful test period. The tool also includes a dashboard offering a detailed breakdown of an ad campaign, and the plan is to use the data to group users into categories that advertisers can use for targeting. Snapchat has also reported data on locations where the app is used, with 80% at a restaurant, 66% while shopping, 50% at the gym and 49% at the airport. However, it reiterated that, unlike its rivals, it does not share users' location data with advertisers.

Snap here. Snap there. Snap everywhere — especially in stores.

Snapchat, the disappearing messaging turned mobile storytelling app, released a new ad product Wednesday that is a quick swipe at Facebook's big offer to advertisers and retailers: online to offline conversions.

That's jargon for Snapchat's pitch to help retailers get more products off their shelves and prove to them that ads on Snap helped create the magic behind those sales.

The feature, released out of beta, is called "Snap to Store." Snap also reported new data, compiled by Greenberg Strategy (commissioned by Snapchat), on what percentages of Snapchatters use the app at particular venues:

80% at a restaurant

66% at a shopping mall

50% at a gym

49% at an airport

Wendy's was one of Snapchat's early beta testers, along with 7-Eleven and Paramount Pictures.

Wendy's created sponsored geofilters in its U.S. stores that promoted the Jalapeño Fresco Chicken Sandwich. According to Snapchat's internal data (that is verified by third-party platforms), the geofilter drove 42,000 visitors to a Wendy’s within seven days of viewing it.

The restaurant was pretty damn happy about it. "Foot traffic into our restaurants is the best measurement of short-term sales success for any program. ‘Snap to Store’ is a big win for Wendy's for this reason — we want more ad tech like this," Brandon Rhoten, Wendy’s head of advertising, digital/social and media, said in a statement.

Snap is releasing a dashboard for advertisers that shows the number of Snapchat users who saw the ad campaign and the number of Snapchat users who visited the desired location. Snap also breaks down the data by gender, age, state and what product they used (lens or geofilter).

Credit: snap inc.

In the future, Snap plans to bucket these users into more categories for advertisers such as by interests. These can be determined based on what content users look at on Discover and Our Stories. For example, if you're a loyal reader of Mashable's Discover channel, you probably like technology.

Snap also plans to expand these so-called lifestyle categories by integrating location data. Snapchat can determine whether you're a frequent department store shopper or if you're a travel or fitness enthusiast based on where you snap and what geofilters you use.

Sounds like a lot of data and targeting — something that Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel has preached he is quite cautious over. Snapchat cautioned in their release notes that the company is dedicated to protecting users' privacy. Snap does not share location information with advertisers, and Snapchat users can also opt-out of any location-based targeting by turning off location services.

Unlike other apps (*cough* Facebook and Uber *cough*), Snapchat does not track users' location when the app is not open. There is no background listening.