Shoppers are arming themselves this season with coupons to tackle the sales. However, these are not your typical coupons. Sites like Groupon and Screamin Daily Deals offer their users amazing deals. 50-90 percent off is not uncommon! However, there's a catch. For most of these deals you have to act within 24 hours before the deal is done. People are hooked on hunting for the next good deal and then deciding whether to take advantage of it, as the clock ticks away. According to an article published by the Los Angeles Times , this trend is catching on and giving local merchants an immediate injection of cash. Groupon has more than half a million followers in the Los Angeles Area alone. And these sites are active in cities all over the country.
Here's how it works:
These daily deal websites generally partner with a local business. The local business offers one of its products or services at a deep discount. Consumers can buy the deal for themselves or as a gift for someone else. After a deal is bought, consumers print out their e-mailed vouchers and present them to the merchant when they want to redeem; some companies allow buyers to show the purchase on their smart phones. Merchants are responsible for tracking which coupons are redeemed to prevent duplication.
A recent Groupon offer — $50 for a 50-minute massage or facial with aromatherapy, half the usual $100 price — netted 1,618 purchases for Dtox Day Spa in Los Angeles, CA.
Major retail chains are jumping in too: Apparel giant Gap recently sold $50 gift certificates for $25 on Groupon — shoppers nationwide snapped up 445,000 of them in just 24 hours. Monday's Groupon was a $20 deal for $40 worth of merchandise at the Body Shop.
This could tilt holiday season shopping on its head!
-Alyssa Murfey
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