Aligning with our website design, headlines now consist of the business name, suburb, and then percent off amount. This allows for fast scanning of deals, with a minimal amount of clutter. With the new description field, Australian shoppers can now get a good idea of what the deal is before clicking it. Of course there is also the address, website link, map, and eatability/urbanspoon/tripadvisor information to keep readers well informed about each deal. Every deal is placed into a category, and then sorted by proximity to the chosen suburb. This way the first deals you see are the ones that have maximum relevance – no more endless deal browsing. One final change is a promoted deals section at the top of the email. This gives a chance for advertisers to showcase particular outstanding deals each day, while keeping the email simple, uncluttered, and clear. Rest assured though, you’ll never see a ‘promoted deal’ that you aren’t interested in – they will only show if you selected the particular category to which it belongs.

We hope you love the new design, and find it useful when looking for the best daily deals that are out there.

Groupon’s instant deals service, Groupon Now, has launched in 20 different US markets. Most recently the service has moved to Las Vegas, allowing users to receive and redeem instant deals at a hyperlocal level. Groupon Now differs from existing daily deal services by allowing users to instantly see deals offered in their nearby vicinity, via their smartphone. Due to Groupon’s large inventory of deals, a service such as this is possible. While the Australian market does not have anyone offering such a service, I predict this will become a possibility as the number of deals on offer goes up. Aggregators in particular may possess the ability to deliver hyperlocal, targeted offers on behalf of their providers. Greater localization will mean a higher chance of repeat business for merchants.

Via DailyDealMedia

A new startup in the US aims to apply the group buying model to energy and gas services. AlphaBuyer works much in the same way as Groupon, LivingSocial, and others, allowing consumers to band together to achieve lower energy prices. Services are purchased from wholesalers in states where energy and gas has been deregulated, creating an estimated market of 50 million new residential customers. This is an interesting concept that steers away from beauty spas, restaurants, and travel, applying the group buying model to more essential services that we all use daily.

Via DailyDealMedia

With the group buying industry nearing saturation, entrepreneurs and business owners are thinking of new ways to stay competitive. The US group buying market is seeing a range of new sites that cover everything from pet deals, to the male gay market. More than a dozen sites already exist in the parents and kids category, joining sites like Daily Hookup for the US gay community, JDeal for the Jewish community, ExoticDeals for adult, and FurryBoo for pets. While this level of micro differentiation is only starting to emerge in Australia, I think this is the way that the industry will move forward. There is only so much room for sites like Groupon, Livingsocial, and Cudo – niche verticals are the answer.

Via WSJ

Here are some interesting points from the report:

• 48 percent of deal buyers used the coupon at a restaurant they have not yet visited, and 25 percent used it at a restaurant they have only visited once before.
• 67 percent later returned to the restaurant without a daily deal.
• 83 percent recommended the restaurant to family and/or friends.
• 34 percent posted a review of the restaurant on a site such as Yelp or Zagat, and 25 percent wrote about the restaurant on their Facebook page.

Via HospitalityTechnology

Via StartupSmart

Via 123Cars

Exciting news in the daily deal travel space – Groupon have just announced that they are launching a service together with Expedia, which will deliver travel related daily deals to the masses. This will be initially available in the US and Canada, but will move to international markets soon after. Livingsocial already has it’s ‘Escapes’ product, a service that is in direct competition to Groupon’s upcoming offering. Will travel dominate the daily deals space? It does remove the locality aspect, making deals instantly more relevant to a wider audience, and removing the need for location based targeting.

Via DailyDealMedia

It appears consumers are ready to purchase directly off social networking sites, a new report claims. The 2011 Social Commerce Study, developed by Shop.org with comScore, establishes social media as the new frontier for reaching the widest range of consumers. In the report, 35% of shoppers say they would be likely to buy a product directly from Facebook and 32% via Twitter. I predict that we’ll see more and more online retailers, including daily deal sites, create digital store-fronts and check-out platforms within Facebook itself. This would act to boost social engagement and allow users to see what their friends are purchasing, thereby driving additional sales.

Via PowerRetail

Cudo has spoken out in response to Experian’s recently released data, which placed Stardeals as the number one daily deal site in Australia. Cudo CEO Billy Tucker rejected the validity of Experian’s report, while reaffirming Cudo’s position in the daily deal space. I think Cudo is definitely feeling pressure in the space since the arrival of Groupon in Australia, however I agree that the data concerning Stardeals is questionable, with no supporting data from an alternate external source.

Via DailyDealMedia