5 Things About Groupon

Groupon ~ Collective Buying Power

Groupon is a no-nonsense "group buying" site where users in over 35 major cities can join and participate in daily discounted offers by local merchants. Offers may include restaurants, events, or shopping. The more users who buy into the offer the greater the chance that the offer will be met ensuring that all that bought that particular offer will be able to take advantage of their purchase.

"Groupon.com is an easy way to get huge discounts while discovering fun activities in your city. Our daily deals consist of restaurants, spas, massages, theaters, hotels, and a whole lot more, in dozens of cities across the country." ~ Groupon.com

Groupon relies on the power of the masses to make it happen.

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1. How Does Groupon Work?

What it takes to get great deals

Groupon works with local merchants in dozens of cities nationwide and internationally to bring groups of people huge discounts on local events, restaurants and shopping. Each day a new offer is emailed to the user and is also posted on the Groupon.com website. Groupon deals are only activated when enough people have purchased the deal so it is highly recommended that users spread the word to other users. Group participation is the key here.

Example: The trendy new night club in town is hosting the hottest new band in the area. Tickets for the event are $50 per person. Groupon will campaign to the club that if Groupon can get 250 people to buy tickets to the show, the price of the tickets for Groupon members only, will drop to $25 per person.

Groupon then presents the deal to its users via email and onsite, and as long as the user clicks to buy the ticket, the user will be able to take advantage of the deal should the minimum amount of people buy into the offer. Users are only charged if the terms of the offer are met.
The only thing is, if only 249 people buy into the ticket deal, the offer will not be honored and the user will not be charged for the ticket, nor will the $25 per person offer be available.
If 250 or more (depending on the offer, some are offers are limited to an exact specific quantity) people buy into the deal, then everyone is billed the $25 for the tickets and everyone is happy.

The more people can spread the word to friends, family, social networks, groups, and other users, the better the chances the offer will reach it's minimum and everyone can take advantage of the deal. It's a Win - Win for everyone when more people spread the word. This is not a site you want to keep to yourself.

Sharing socially saves!

Once you become a member by entering your email address or linking through Facebook, you will be taken to the Featured Deal for your area. You are able to change areas by selecting the city in the drop down field.

On the Featured Offer page you will be able to view details about the offer including:

*How much the offer costs
*How much the offer is valued at
*What the discount rate is
*How much you save
*How much longer you have to buy the deal
*How many people have pre-bought the offer
*How many more people are needed for the offer to be applicable

There are convenient social network links to share the offer online via Facebook Like, Twitter, email, and referrals.

Below the offer is usually a company profile and terms and conditions and often as well as a blog post and/or user comments.

You are also given the opportunity to buy the offer and gift it to a friend. Once the offer has reached capacity, you will be charged for the deal and then you will be able to print the offer from your account page and take it to the merchant for redemption.

Your account page allows you to manage your purchased Groupons and view pending ones. You can also view received gifts, view and update your account information, update your profile and billing information, as well as follow merchants that you have purchased Groupons from.

See Groupon in action

Watch this quick tutorial to learn more

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2. Local Savings and Daily Deals

A new offer is posted each day

Users can become members by signing up on the Groupon.com site to receive Daily Deals offered in their area directly to their email. Users can also become members by linking and logging in on their Facebook account to Groupon.

Members are not limited to their area. If a member in the Boston area is traveling to New York and wants to take advantage of an offer in the New York area, all the member needs to do is select New York (or any other area) from the drop down box on the Groupon.com site and select the offer.

Often offers are not just limited to that particular day. Offers may be available for any preset time frame and may be purchased up until that date.

3. Gift a Groupon on Groupiconius

Groupons make great gifts

If you're looking for an inexpensive and great gift idea, why not give the gift of local adventure to friends, family or anybody who needs to get out more? You'll be giving presents worth twice what you paid, and without going shopping or paying shipping costs.

Gift Cards can be used on "Groupiconius" offers. Groupiconius is more of a Groupon webstore where offers are available for a longer time and allow users to redeem gift cards for an item they may want that is available beyond the Daily Deal. The Groupiconius page displays several offers, what they cost, what they are valued at, how much longer the offer is available for (unless it will become available and when) and more information about the offer. This gives users the opportunity to select an offer they are interested in or wait until one becomes available.

4. Widgets and Banners

Refer a Friend, Earn $10 Groupon Bucks

As an added bonus to entice users to participate and purchase an offer, registered members can get $10 Groupon Bucks every time someone buys their first Groupon within 72 hours of clicking their widget or banner.

Widgets are interactive badges that can be placed on a member's website, blog, forum, or sent via email. Groupon offers members customizable codes that can be easily integrated into the member's site.

Banners are images that link the user to the page on the Groupon Deal of the Day or local offer and can also be placed on websites, blogs and forums.

Groupon Bucks can be used toward any Groupon purchase, and they never expire. There's no limit to how much one can earn!

5. Mobile Apps

Android or iPhone take Groupon with you on your mobile device

Do you have a web-enabled smart phone? Now you can purchase, manage, and redeem Groupons directly from your mobile device. Whether you have an Android, iPhone, or even a Motorola SUN1660BB, you can take advantage of Groupon's mobile apps. Each mobile app is free and available either through the Android Market or iTunes web store. Get any deal with the touch of a button, keep track of your Groupons by location, date and expiration, and redeem them any time you want without killing trees.

*Browse unbeatable deals on local adventures
*Get any deal with the touch of a button
*Search nearby Groupons using GPS
*Keep track of all your Groupons by location, date and expiration
*Save trees with paperless redemption

What say you?

Do you get your Groupon?

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Groupon blog

Find out what's happening with Groupon

May 23, 2012 @ 12:56 pmHouse & Garden from Groublogpon - The Serious Blog of Groupon: If you want strangers to be so moved by the beauty of your home and garden that they will leave whole roasted turkeys on your doorstep as a sign of their gratitude, you've got to check out Groupon?s c...
May 21, 2012 @ 12:53 pmLanding at Camp Groupon: The Counting Crows from Groublogpon - The Serious Blog of Groupon: Much like the day a baby is born, Camp Groupon features once-in-a-lifetime experiences followed by fireworks and a rock concert. This year, we'll be commemorating each camper's first day with an exclu...
May 17, 2012 @ 2:47 pmThe Groupon Guide to: Preventing Summertime Brain... from Groublogpon - The Serious Blog of Groupon: When students leave school for the summer, or for the "long summer" of adulthood, their brains begin to leak knowledge, eventually decaying into useless, wet orbs. Try these tips to keep your brain ac...
May 16, 2012 @ 2:37 pmSchool?s Out! from Groublogpon - The Serious Blog of Groupon: Depending on how close your city is to the sun, summer vacation looms and graduation ceremonies are being penciled in to mobile calendars. Here are a few summer deals that will compliment this season...
May 15, 2012 @ 3:06 pmBehind the Deals: Working from Home from Groublogpon - The Serious Blog of Groupon: Groupon maintains a verdant 18-acre campus in a zeppelin high above the Chicago River. However, some of our employees are allowed to work from home occasionally, provided their home offices include th...
May 14, 2012 @ 11:59 amCamp Groupon: Be an Action Star on Adventure Hill from Groublogpon - The Serious Blog of Groupon: Two nights in a world-class hotel, a Counting Crows concert at Navy Pier, and a special event on the Wrigley outfield would make more than most Chicago vacations complete. At Camp Groupon, it?s just h...
May 11, 2012 @ 1:34 pmCamp Groupon Getaway Giveaway Contest from Groublogpon - The Serious Blog of Groupon: Have you ever wanted to see Chicago?s skyline from the top of the ferris wheel at Navy Pier? Do you call the Windy City your home but you?re itching to shake up your routine and discover something new...
May 10, 2012 @ 9:15 amGroupon Rewards Launches Nationwide from Groublogpon - The Serious Blog of Groupon: Today we?re excited to announce the nationwide launch of Groupon Rewards. Eliminating the hassles of check-ins, extra apps or punch cards, with Groupon Rewards you can automatically get benefits for t...
May 9, 2012 @ 8:40 amGroupon Redefines Camp from Groublogpon - The Serious Blog of Groupon: This summer, 2,000 adventure-seekers will descend upon Groupon's native Chicago to take part in the first ever Camp Groupon?a once-in-a-lifetime urban escape from July 6-July 8. Along with a towerin...
May 7, 2012 @ 8:12 amToday?s Stockholders? Letter from Groublogpon - The Serious Blog of Groupon: Today Groupon updated our stockholders with an annual note from Andrew Mason outlining our progress and plans for the business. You can find the full version below or on our investor relations page....

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Group buying sites

U.S.and Canada

Group buying sites such as Groupon have become very popular with saving money on entertainment.

Living Social: Living Social
DealTicker: Deal Ticker
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Daily Deal - A New Daily Deal Everyday at Everybody Buys: At Everybody Buys you will Save 50% - 90% at your favourite places around the city. Check out today's top deal!
Red Flag Deals: Red Flag Deals
DealDipp - Save up to 90% in Toronto everyday on Food, Clothing, Entertainment and more: Buy Deals Everyday | Toronto Shopping |Toronto Voucher |Toronto Discount
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City Deal: City Deal
Tippr | Your Daily Cravings Fulfilled: ***
Thrill List: Thrill List
Buy With Me: Buy With Me
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AT COST: Experience Your City At Cost! Every Deal, Every Day. Create YOUR own Group Buy on Facebook.
Deal Map: The most comprehensive source to find and share the hottest local deals, all in one place. Sign up to get the best daily deals, all in one email, and follow us on Twitter to get deal alerts as they happen. The Dealmap has special offers, coupons, and discounts of up to 90% off local restaurants, eve
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