Social discovery apps will likely provide advertisers with new and more personal ways of reaching people, increasing the chance that the apps will have staying power. For instance, Vaccari mentioned a "virtual concierge" feature, in which a user could receive a personal message from a salesperson in a nearby store. The feature would "create a connection between a person and the brand via the person working in the store," he said. "We think that's very powerful."

Glancee and Highlight keep constant track of their users, while Sonar and Banjo draw location data from status updates or check-ins on other social networks. Such features can be valuable to advertisers.

"Continuous location offers a lot to advertisers," he said.

The IDG News Service