A good deal is hard to resist. Why would anyone want to pay the full price when they can have the same product or service at a fraction of the cost? This is the concept behind daily deals site. While discounts, coupons, and vouchers have long been available on the internet through a variety of merchants, it is only when Groupon.com became popular that the “daily deals” concept really took off. Visitors can take advantage of great deals from a variety of merchants in one place.
| Daily Deal Site | Referral Bonus | Review |
|---|---|---|
| Groupon | $10 for new members | Best stuff to do, eat, and buy. In 43 countries. Read Groupon reviews |
| Living Social | Get three people to buy a deal, get yours free | Focuses on experiences to share with friends. Read Living Social reviews |
| Moolala | PayMatrix: get 2% of deal value, plus 2% of deal your friends buy, 2% from friend's friend. | With PayMatrix get paid forever, not just one time referral. Read Moolala reviews |
| BuyWithMe | Get three people to buy, get your deal free. Refer a new member $10 | Deals live for seven days, no impulse buying. Read BuyWithMe reviews |
| BigTip | none listed | Many offers per day, Over 100,000 in 6000 cities. Read BigTip reviews |
| DealOn | Earn DealOn credit for referrals to use on future purchases. | Limited engagements - special pricing and limited supplies. Not just discounted pricing. Read DealOn reviews |
| Deal of the Day | none listed | Latest and best offers from leading retailers. Read Deal of the Day reviews |
| Saveology | Earn $10 by getting two friends to buy a deal. (you don't have to buy) | High quality offers at deep discounts. Read Saveology reviews |
| Yelp | unknown | 2-3 deals per week, read review of featured business as well. Read Yelp reviews |
Right now, a lot of newcomers have joined the bandwagon. There are hundreds of sites that are competing to get a chunk of your dollar. So given how successful daily deal sites are, you might be wondering, how does it really work?
Variations in Approaches
In Groupon.com, new deals are featured everyday. If you decide you make a purchase, a voucher will then be sent to your email. Print this out and present it to the merchant to use the deal. If you want to be alerted about the latest offers, you can subscribe to their email alert which is sent everyday. There is one catch in Groupon, they require a minimum number of buyers per offer for it to push through.
Other websites follow the same concept with slight variations. For example, some daily deal sites don’t require a minimum number of buyers so once you make a purchase, the voucher is automatically sent to your email. There are others that give free credits or points when you buy from them or refer friends to the site. These “points” can be redeemed as vouchers from the merchant of your choice on the website.
Why You Should Use Daily Deal Sites
Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase “win-win situation” wherein two parties struck a deal that’s beneficial to them both. Daily deal websites take this one step further. It’s a win-win-win situation for the merchant, the website, and the customer. If you are running a small business for example, these sites allow you to generate foot traffic and revenues to your business. Daily deal sites allow you to establish a loyal customer base if you are just starting out.
On the part of the daily deals website, they receive a portion of the amount that the customer pays. In the case of Groupon, they take 50% of the amount paid by customers. Competing sites may charge less in their bid to get market share. Whatever the case, they make money by simply displaying merchant offers. Then of course, there’s the consumer.
Consumers get access to discounts that are exclusive on particular sites or may be only available due to “group” purchases. Even when they’re buying as an individual, they pay highly discounted rates because of the pulling power of the daily deal offers.
If you’re looking to make huge savings from everyday products and services, check out a local daily deal site today to find out if they have an offer that’s suitable for you today. Travel deals, restaurant discounts, and recreational offers are also available.