Location-based check-in services are all the rage. It's trendy, it's cool, it's buzz-worthy. All that is great in the short-term, but in order to be relevant and viable in the long-term, there needs to be some serious value created for the businesses that are going to pay to use and advertise on these services.

It seems like there is a new start-up every week with big brands in tow offering a new way for customers to check-in or interact with a retail store. Foursquare has the head-start and lead in this space, but they haven't exactly wowed anyone in a while (and maybe never did). There is plenty of space in the market, and the demand is there, partly because the need isn't actually being filled.

For all these companies, as the early-adopter PR boost wears off, businesses are going to be asking for real returns. Media outlets will stop picking up any and all news about location-based check-in services, and consumers will keep doing what they do: not really using any of the services in substantial numbers.

The problem is, none of these services are truly solving the two needs of retail businesses: 1) make more people buy, 2) make people buy more. Both certainly happen, but nowhere near the level that will deliver any kind of real return on the investments businesses are making. These start-ups are getting way ahead of themselves with the elaborate algorithms and advanced technology. They need to get back to basics and rework their business model to actually make business.