ROYAL OAK, Mich. – While healthy living may be its own reward, a little financial incentive never hurts, either. Thus was born the idea behind the Carrot app, which helps local businesses target passersby with real-time offers, and rewards users for walking to the stores.

The app rewards users for being active, converting every walk or cycle ride into points that can be redeemed on offers at participating local businesses. Already, more than 200 businesses have signed up with Carrot, mostly within the company’s home state of Michigan. Once a business signs up (for a monthly fee of $55), Carrot installs a locator beacon in the store, which uses bluetooth technology and information on customer demographics to identify relevant participating consumers. Users who have downloaded the Carrot app may then be sent coupons and offers from Carrot-registered stores when they come within a set proximity.

Now, for the healthy part: At the same time, the app also taps into the consumer’s pedometer feature on their smart device, which enables the app to track walking and cycling and rewards the consumer with bonus points for doing so. Customers also receive bonus points every time they visit a participating business.