Google has the advantage of being able to use the whole array of services they already have, to better market the local businesses online. With a bit of ingenuity, they could eventually come up with some sweet deals for theses businesses, offering them bundle packages of online marketing + coupons.

As I see it, this is an area where Google might have the upper hand, and they should use it as their entry point into Groupon’s market.

Google will fail at local business deals too. Google is a failure. They don’t want to pick up the phone to call business owners. There is no human touch with Google. They don’t want to build real businesses. All they want is automation, money fast, integration of all services violating user privacy left and right. That’s why they fail at everything they do. They will never triumph in the social arena unless they buy facebook. Google is perceived as a giant, faceless and greedy corporation full of white ole dudes. Facebook is perceived as a kid running a site from a college somewhere. Most people root for the underdog.

Groupon are wise to refuse. They have only Scratched the surface and know this. However the demand is so great they can’t keep up with the folks they are trying to serve. Waiting lists of up to 3 months or so to take more orders for local businesses and members never being able to contact them personally. Googles participation or take over would not improve this on the contrary, Google are well known for their lack of “personal” service.

If they these guys have so much money to play with and with everything to play for what is wrong with the idea of investing some of those profits into giving a Mega business the personal touch with staffing? And what in the name of service happened to Service! We are all people wishing for the same thing on that front! Why not supply it?

My earlier post draws attention to the underdogs and one in particular that is learning from all the mistakes the Big Boys are making .. about to take Full advantage in a big way by undercutting Groupon’s Costs to businesses by as much as 20% and not profiteering for profiteering sake. Donating money to a worthy cause with Buzz Marketing Campaigns matching penny for penny in their world record attempt http://www.tenmillionpennies.org/LeslieBanks campaign officially recognized by Guinness Records.

Customers can also interact with their own Personal Agent and Corporate who are about to take Group Buying to the next Level by offering affiliate and Agents Very Lucrative rewards for doing something they love in in the first place by helping people, myself included, with rewards as Good incentives to do so. Yes I mentioned affiliates and agents earning Real incomes for their efforts of promotions and servicing the local, national & international deals and businesses, something Groupon are not active promoting. Network Marketing and Flutterbuck’s approach is unique and attracting the Cyberspace Marketers to take Group Buying to the next level on the other side of the screen and we are seriously succeeding! Agents apply via an online application form:

http://www.globalconsumernetwork.com/invite/LeslieBanks

There is only one way we are going and that is Up. So while Groupon and Google are caught up in price wars, we at Flutterbuck are aiming to make this experience a personal delight for All involved. Customers, Businesses & Affiliates!

This is a Whole New Approach to the Group Buying Trend that will effectively change the way we all do business via Flutterbucks deal a day platform saving between 50-90% on retail for things we do, see, eat, buy or experience and all purchased via the internet! Using the internet this way saves and makes money for all who are involved!

Everyone WINS!

- Leslie Banks -
http://flutterbuck.com/LeslieBanks

How often have we heard someone refusing an extremely large offer that made the news. I don’t believe Croupon is worth that much but they wanted the advertising from the press coverage. Added to this a heavy marketing campaign, on google funnily enough, putting Croupon all over the internet and no wonder they got so many visitors (you need to give a valid email address so make up one if you don’t want to be spammed for ever after) Even if the product is good, it’s not original and will be copied ad nausea.

As for human contact, Google liaised with Thompson directories very efficiently. Do correct me if I am wrong.

A bon entendeur

I have been studying Groupon. They show you how many sales each Groupon gets. They also show you the selling price. I believe Groupon takes in half the cost of the coupon. When they sell a $40.00 coupon for $20.00. I think they get $10.00. They sometimes sell 150,000 coupons just in one city on one day. Groupon is a cash register right now. If its sales numbers are going to continue to grow at its present rate, it is definitely worth more than 6 billion. The problem is that someone else could come in and copy them. If google comes out with Googleupon and charges the restaurants a smaller fee and give a better value to the enduser, I think Groupon could lose some serious marketshare. Google already has enough emails to compete with Groupon’s database. If someone offered me 6 billion, I would take the money.

I think for there to be a healthy eco system, one which is profitable for large industry and smaller business, there needs to be a variety of brand names offering a variety or service and product.

From a consumers perspective, anything which does not involve variety could come off like a slot machine in terms of appeal and acceptance. People innately understand where there money is going. A purchase today is less about survival and may have elements of cause or purpose.

I don’t have anything else to really say except that regardless of what anyone believes, the web is still a gold mine. Groupon, if they took a risk, they took the right one. Jmo…

Opentable has the potential to take significant business away

Here is another approach Google gatto deal with GCN Groupon FlutterBuck Group Buying.
Retailers now have an option to traditional, costly and risky advertising media. With traditional media, you are expected to leverage hundreds, thousands and even tens of thousands of dollars into advertising mediums that do not have any guarantee of customer acquisition on the back end.

Today, you have a new option for attracting customers. A new trend has exploded online over the last year and a half that has become an overnight billion dollar industry. It’s also opened up an exciting, inexpensive and risk free way of attracting new customers to your retail business.

I Hate Groupon!!!!
I am a local pub in the UK that had a refurbishment and thought groupon was a good way to help relaunch the business. First time I used them they released the voucher earlier than agreed and we upset a load of people because the Kitchen wasn’t even ready to open for another month and they couldn’t use the vouchers.
I put this down to an error and gave it another go with a different food offer. I gave them a copy of my new menu my website address http://www.threetunsreading.com and a detailed discription of what was on offer and insisted that I proof the voucher before going live.
Well I was totally and utterly ignored. They gave me less than 12 hours notice that the voucher was going live, ignored all requests to see a proof, Even though I gave them a menu and a website address to take info from, they must have found the most outdated website with info 2-4 years old using photo’s and menu’s prior to refurbishment. They email this to 25,000 in my local area that I’m trying to market to that the place has been refurbished and now offers great surroundings and atmosphere and an all fresh produce menu. They couldn’t have got it anymore wrong and then after I am straight on the phone about what they have done it takes them 6 hours to fix it and refused to send out ammended email….
And yes they used to take 30% of the vouchers value but now take 50%.
Good luck to whoever takes on Groupon and I hope you offer a better service than what I’ve experienced from Groupon………………

$6 billion seems insane but Groupon has made some smart moves with their lightning fast expansion and relentless online advertising. There are hundreds of smaller competitors (LocalDealSites.com lists over 130 Groupon-like daily deal websites http://www.localdealsites.com/ ) and they all have pretty much same model… but none with the reach and clout that Groupon has, which is the differentiator. Their revenue is just growing too fast to understand what the valuation should be. Still, takes some guts to walk away from that kind of money!