Do you remember the daily deal bubble of just a few years ago? Groupon boomed and had a spectactular public stock offering, and even companies like Amazon and PayPal opened their own copycat sites. Consumers largely lost interest in deals sites as a category, and so did investors, but category leaders Groupon and LivingSocial managed to survive. Now Groupon has acquired its smaller rival for an undisclosed amount, but probably at least 80% off its peak valuation. [More]
for me to groupon
Groupon Still Exists, Gets $250M Investment From Comcast
By 4.4.16
Last fall, things didn’t look good for Groupon — the deal site that three of your friends wouldn’t shut up about in 2011. Its stock price had sunk to a new low as it fired more than 1,000 employees and closed operations in six countries and Puerto Rico. But the company got some good news today in the form of a $250 million investment/partnership with Comcast. [More]
Groupon Slashing 1,100 Jobs, Promises To “Do More With Less”
By 9.22.15
When Groupon went public in Nov. 2011, its stock was selling for more than $20/share. With the startup shine gone and so many other companies offering local deals, Groupon shares now trade for around $4 each. In an attempt to breathe new life into the still-young company, it announced today that it will be cutting around a tenth of its workforce and closing up shop in six countries and Puerto Rico. [More]
Groupon Australia Sold Boxes Of Counterfeit Durex Condoms
By 4.23.15 — Updated: 12.9.16
Overall, Groupon’s transition from a company that sells discount vouchers to a company that sells discount merchandise has gone pretty well. Yet some news from Australia caught our attention when we learned that Groupon in that country sold counterfeit condoms on their website. Now the Australian government is alerting consumers who purchased those condoms that they should probably not use them. [More]
Watch Out For Groupons With “Reservation Required”
By 6.20.14
Reader Aaron is annoyed at Groupon. He bought a voucher for a local restaurant: a sushi place, to be exact, but the type of business doesn’t matter all that much. What does matter is that he paid for a voucher, which required that he make a reservation at the restaurant through Groupon’s app. This wouldn’t be a problem if he could get a reservation. [More]
Groupon’s “Salebration” Leads To Confused, Voucherless Customers
By 3.28.14
Groupon is running a shady deal, readers told us. They recently sent a 20% off coupon code to customers, promising 20% off a local deal. Neat. Jenny nabbed three $12 vouchers for a local store, spending only $18. Yet her 20% coupon only got her a discount of $1.20. She was disappointed that it was only taking ten percent off, and complained to Groupon and to us. The deal, it turns out, wasn’t shady at all. [More]
Groupon Self-Service Lets Companies Design Their Own Deals
By 2.10.14
If you could design an entire daily deal campaign for your company without talking to any pesky salespeople, would you? Most people prefer to minimize the number of pesky salespeople in their lives, which is why Groupon’s new self-service deal tool might be a great idea for even small businesses than the ones that Groupon usually works with. [More]
Groupon Waits Until Now To Admit It’s Not Shipping Nexus 7 Purchased On Black Friday
By 12.23.13
Hey, remember that debacle in 2011 when Best Buy waited until a few days before Christmas to cancel many orders placed during the Black Friday frenzy? Groupon doesn’t. They offered a great deal on a Nexus 7 tablet through their Groupon Goods site on Black Friday, and kept promising that it would be on customers’ doorsteps by Christmas. Then they canceled the orders. [More]
What Are America’s Most Damaged Brands Right Now?
By 4.26.13
How mighty brands fall. Bad leadership, bad planning, a run of bad products: any of these can damage a brand in a short amount of time, and it can take years to recover: if, indeed, the brand recovers at all. What brands are the most battered in the United States right now? 24/7 Wall Street rounded them up, based on which publicly-traded major companies are currently dealing with aggressive competition, reputation disasters, and a lack of direction. [More]
Bank Of America To Do A Really Bad Job Of Offering Online Deals
By 1.24.12
Because between the existing glut of daily deals websites is apparently not sufficient, and because we aren’t already inundated with complaints about Bank of America, the nation’s second-largest but most-reviled financial institution has decided to branch out into the online deals business with BankAmeriDeals. [More]
Bakery: We Lost At Least $19,500 In Groupon Deal
By 11.22.11
The biggest complaint from businesses that were unhappy with their Groupon experience is that too many people take advantage of the discount without spending money on anything that would make the company a profit. And while we’ve heard about some pretty bad cases, this story of a UK bakery’s experience with Groupon really takes the cake. [More]
Groupon Gets Into Real Estate Deals
By 4.8.11
In a move that some will say is an example of the flexibility of the Groupon model, and that others will point to as a shark-jumping moment, the online deals site has partnered with a Chicago-area real estate firm for its first ever venture into the home-buying market. [More]
Groupon Gets Into The Movie Ticket Business
By 3.16.11
With Facebook getting into the movie rental business and Netflix deciding it should start producing TV shows, Groupon has decided to get into the entertainment biz too, offering its first deal on movie tickets for a new theatrical release. [More]
Groupon Sued Over Expiration Date Issues
By 3.3.11
Online coupon site Groupon.com now finds itself the subject of a lawsuit claiming the expiration dates on its deals violate existing gift card laws regarding expiration dates. [More]
Groupon & FTD Offer Refund For Controversial Valentine's Day Deal
By 2.14.11
Amid allegations that FTD jacked up the price on flowers being sold through a Groupon promotion, both companies are offering a refund to peeved customers. [More]
Conan O'Brien Presents Newest Groupon Ad
By 2.9.11
Apparently, not all of Groupon’s controversial ads were shown during the Super Bowl. Conan O’Brien unearthed an ad for the site you may have missed. [More]
