Google offers unveiled a sign-up page today for their new Google Offers program, a direct competitor to Groupon, LivingSocial and the 475 other daily deal sites aggregated by Yipit.
Interestingly, Google offers seems to be taking a very similar approach to existing daily deal sites.
- 50% off or more. Google states that they “partner with some of the best local businesses in your area to bring you great deals at 50% off or more.” The lower bound of 50% off is one of the key underpinnings of Groupon and LivingSocial’s offerings. Google clearly wants its users to perceive these offers very differently from regular coupons.
- Email distribution. Google will be distributing these offers via email. Google states that they’ll “send you regular emails letting you in on amazing offers in your area.”
- Opt-in. Google is not auto-subscribing their users to this program. They are asking user to sign-up for Google Offers via the Google Offers landing page.
It doesn’t appear that Google is initially integrating this offering with other Google products like Google Maps, Google Search or Gmail which could boost the effectiveness of Google Offers. For example, a deep integration with Gmail could significantly increase conversion rates on the offerings.
The new offering is currently limited to Portland, the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City.
New York City makes sense as an initial test market. We’ve received reports of several New York City businesses getting calls from Google representatives pitching them on a daily deal like product similar to Groupon and LivingSocial.