FreeRide.com Launches Tour Program Aimed at Extending Browsing

Online rewards site FreeRide.com is promoting a new tool that, according to the company, ensures a consumer visit of at least 45 seconds to a client’s Web site.

The “Magic Bus” program, which launched today, is geared toward lengthening the duration of a participant’s visit to a client’s web site.

FreeRide.com members are rewarded with FreeRide currency for surfing, searching, interacting, or making purchases on a client’s Web site. These points can be redeemed for a variety of awards including gasoline, groceries, movie tickets and gift certificates.

As with site-visitation programs — like those of eTour — users of FreeRide’s Magic Bus program are rewarded for visiting affiliated Web sites. Consumers who remain on and actively explore a Magic Bus site for at least 45 seconds are awarded additional points.

They can earn further points for finding interactive “hitchhikers” that pop-up as consumers continue to interact with the sites.

Clients, which currently include MP3.com, Xdrive and Florist.com, are charged only for visitors that stay longer than 45 seconds.

FreeRide’s clients are hoping that the Magic Bus delivers increased consumer attention, ideally leading to increased receptivity to marketing messaging, to advertisements and to e-commerce.

“The Magic Bus rewards site exploration, resulting in increased consumer understanding of our clients’ Site content and offers,” said FreeRide.com president and chief executive officer Jordan Stanley.