Facebook Rewards loyalty scheme gives users discounts

It's being tested by a 'small' number of people right now, but could roll out to more accounts in the near future

There’s no word yet on which businesses are participating in the test (AFP)

Facebook has started testing a new loyalty scheme designed to encourage consumers to make more in-store purchases.

It gives users access to discounts and loyalty points through a personalised QR code that can be scanned, in-person, at participating shops.

Rewards can be found in the Facebook app’s burger menu, though it isn’t yet available to all of the social network’s members and there’s no guarantee that it ever will be.

“To help businesses continue to connect with customers where they are, we’re running a small test that enables people to use the Facebook app to collect and redeem rewards when they make a purchase at a participating store,” the company told TechCrunch.

The service could prove highly appealing to regular Facebook users, who could get discounts purely for being members of the site.

Since the app is used by billions of people across the world, Facebook Rewards could quickly prove far more popular and convenient to shoppers than competing loyalty schemes.

Rewards could also tempt consumers away from online retailers and lure them back into brick-and-mortar shops, as well as encourage businesses to advertise on Facebook.

There’s no word yet on which businesses are currently participating in the test, but Facebook’s user base puts it in a great position for attracting big-name brands.

The company has attracted fierce criticism over recent weeks, after two users uploaded videos of murders to the site.

Its moderators eventually shut down the accounts, but not before thousands of users had viewed the disturbing footage.