Nov. 16, 2010 at 12:15 p.m.
Filed under:
Internet,
Retail
By Wailin Wong
Yahoo! is jumping into the online deals space with a new program called Local Offers that aggregates deals from a number of companies, including Chicago-based Groupon.
The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company said it wants to be “the largest and most comprehensive repositories of local offers on the Internet.” With the explosion of daily deal sites following Groupon’s success, a number of deal aggregator start-ups have also emerged. Yahoo! is aiming for an even broader scope by signing up companies specializing in direct mail marketing, such as Valpak. Get the full story »
Nov. 10, 2010 at 2:49 p.m.
Filed under:
Internet,
Investing,
M&A,
Technology
From Business Insider | A source “close to Groupon investors” says that Yahoo is reportedly in sales talks with online daily deals site Groupon.
Oct. 25, 2010 at 1:26 p.m.
Filed under:
Internet,
Retail
By Reuters
EBay Inc. said Monday that it has begun listing Groupon.com’s daily deals and allowing its members to collect and redeem points from purchases they make, in a move that will increase eBay’s presence in the fast growing group buying segment. Get the full story »
Oct. 19, 2010 at 2:38 p.m.
Filed under:
Chicago executives,
Internet,
Updated
Groupon will receive $3.5 million in tax breaks and job training assistance in a state incentive package aimed at helping the fast-growing company create 250 jobs in Chicago rather than expand in other states.
The company allows nearly 25 million consumers to get discounts through group buying power over the internet. Groupon has grown from seven employees to 900 in Chicago over two years, with 2,500 workers worldwide. Get the full story »
Oct. 6, 2010 at 7:07 a.m.
Filed under:
Internet
By Wailin Wong
BuyWithMe, a group buying Web site helmed by former Chicagoan and TicketsNow Chief Executive Cheryl Rosner, is launching in Chicago Wednesday.
The New York-based company had conducted a “soft launch” locally, but is making Wednesday its official debut in Chicago and Los Angeles, bringing its number of cities to 11. BuyWithMe is competing in the same social commerce space crowded with daily deal startups, including Chicago-based Groupon and Washington D.C.-based LivingSocial. Get the full story »
Sep. 8, 2010 at 9:47 a.m.
Filed under:
Food,
Litigation,
Restaurants
By Becky Yerak
Groupon has filed a trademark and copyright infringement case against two Australian businesses that it claims use “confusingly similar terms” while providing “identical services” to the Chicago-based daily deal site. Get the full story »
Sep. 8, 2010 at 9:38 a.m.
Filed under:
Food,
Restaurants
By Wailin Wong
A New York-based Web start-up specializing in restaurant discounts and reservations is expanding into Chicago, hoping to give restaurateurs and diners an alternative to daily deal sites such as Groupon.
VillageVines officially launches in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington D.C. on Sept. 15. In the meantime, Chicagoans can sign up for the site starting today. When the site goes live, members will be able to log in and book a reservation through an online calendar that lists available restaurants and dates. VillageVines charges $10 per reservation and typically offers 30 percent off the check. Get the full story »
Aug. 31, 2010 at 2:20 p.m.
Filed under:
Government,
Technology
By Wailin Wong
Mayor Richard M. Daley said Tuesday that he has created a committee to study infrastructure needs for local technology companies and entrepreneurs.
The committee comprises 20 members, including top executives at local tech firms and representatives from area universities. The group also includes local venture capitalist Matt McCall of New World Ventures, Navteq Chief Executive Larry Kaplan, Kevin Willer of Google’s Chicago office, and Brad Keywell and Eric Lefkofsky, co-founders of Lightbank, a Chicago-based investment fund focusing on early-stage tech companies. Get the full story »
Aug. 27, 2010 at 7:25 a.m.
Filed under:
Advertising/Marketing
By Associated Press
Review Web site Yelp said it is testing out “Yelp Deals” — large discounts at local businesses that site users can buy on one day only. The move appears patterned after sites such as Groupon have gotten extremely popular by combining social media with the power of group buying, offering shoppers daily deals on products and services in their communities. Get the full story »
Aug. 20, 2010 at 10:09 a.m.
Filed under:
Advertising/Marketing,
Internet,
Retail
By Wailin Wong
Daily deal site Groupon reported Friday that it sold 445,000 vouchers for retailer Gap, bringing in $11 million in revenue for the Chicago-based company’s first-ever nationwide promotion.
Groupon typically splits revenue down the middle with its participating merchants. The company declined to disclose how it divided the $11 million from Thursday’s sale. The coupon offered $50 in Gap merchandise for $25, and demand was so high that Groupon’s servers experienced technical difficulties on Thursday morning. Get the full story »
Aug. 17, 2010 at 3:52 p.m.
Filed under:
International,
Internet,
M&A
By Wailin Wong
Daily deal site Groupon is continuing its international expansion with acquisitions of similar companies in Japan and Russia.
Chicago-based Groupon said it has bought Qpod of Japan and Darberry of Russia. Terms were not disclosed. Both sites were launched this year, and their founders will stay on, with the sites being redesigned to be consistent with Groupon’s brand name over the next several months, Groupon said in a release. Get the full story »
Aug. 12, 2010 at 4:08 p.m.
Filed under:
Food,
Internet,
Restaurants
By Wailin Wong
Zagat Survey, the popular restaurant and city guide, is jumping into the group-buying space with a new program that launches next month.
Zagat Exclusives, as the feature is called, will be introduced first in New York City and then “rapidly roll out” to cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, the company said in a press release. Zagat did not provide a more specific time frame on when its Exclusives program would be available in Chicago.
Chicago is home to Groupon, the leading daily deal site that has inspired dozens of competitors. Zagat Exclusives is powered by DealOn, a New Jersey-based rival to Groupon. Other established names have added group-buying features to their core offerings, including online review site Yelp and restaurant reservation site OpenTable. Get the full story »
Aug. 5, 2010 at 9:28 a.m.
Filed under:
Restaurants,
Retail,
Technology
When Marion Street Cheese Market in Oak Park was featured on Groupon, Assistant General Manager Michelle Dirks thought it would be a good chance to offer discounts to current customers while trying to get a few new ones.
But she didn’t expect the explosion of interest that started Wednesday morning.
“It’s been a little overwhelming,” Dirks said. “Well, wonderfully overwhelming.” Get the full story »
Aug. 2, 2010 at 5:41 a.m.
Filed under:
Consumer news,
Retail
By Associated Press
Phu Bui stands in his Chicago nail salon featured ad on Groupon.com. He thought 1,000 customers would bite on the deal but instead, he had 5,146 responses. (AP/M. Spencer Green)
Local shops nationwide are pulling in thousands of new customers with group coupons online, but the deals can sometimes work too well, turning marketing into a game of retail roulette.
Some of the nail salons, restaurants and other small shops that have sold the coupons have risked both new and existing business as they struggled to handle the surge in clients.
July 20, 2010 at 10:33 a.m.
Filed under:
Advertising/Marketing,
IPOs,
Internet,
Media
From Bloomberg | In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Andrew Mason, chief executive officer of Groupon Inc., discussed his company’s business strategy and the prospects for an initial public offering, as well as possible partnerships with media companies — “something where they can maybe replace one of their traditional boring display ads [on the web] with a Groupon that’s relevant to their users.”
