Coupon clipping – Internet style
For years, my mother clipped coupons out of the paper. Every Thursday before she did the food shopping for the week, she would look at the advertisements and figure out her purchases, because food was the biggest expense that my paren'ts had raising a large family on one income.
Now that I have my own (smaller) family and have a bit more disposable income, I am practicing the 21st century version of this tradition from the 1950's – the on-line coupon deals. I can have the "deal of the day" sent to my in box and if it is something too good to pass up, I'm there. And even better, I can pass it on to a friend who might be interested.
A wide variety of services are out there, including the two biggies: Groupon and Living Social. Each of these websites offer a variety of goods and services from businesses. There are a set number of coupons available for purchase, for a limited time. Check out this feature on Sunday Morning, explaining how the website Groupon works.
Newly added to the mix – Facebook Deals, which has been available in the United States since November, but is now available in Canada. Users can post their location on Facebook when they are out and can access special offers from nearby retailers.
Other popular sites include RedFlagDeals.com and TravelZoo.com, which work a bit differently, but still contain bargains that you might be interested in.
This is great for the consumer but would this be a good way to promote your business?
Check out the information pages for businesses on Facebook Deals, Groupon and Living Social, which outline how to promote and grow your business using their services. However, there can be a downside, in that some businesses report that the service has worked SO well, that they have almost gone bankrupt because of the popularity of their discounts.
But it can be a very effective way of building your customer base, one deal at a time. And as a shopper, well, who doesn't like a good deal?
4 thoughts on “Coupon clipping – Internet style”
RedFlagDeals.com is the best site in Canada for deals, with a huge community contributing to find real deals in Canada. Groupon deals can also be found on RedFlagDeals.com.
Facebook’s continuing litany of privacy violations makes it a bad choice for bargain hunting as you will often be required to give away private information, and will do so unwittingly because you will need to be sign in to your account to get the deal. Also the deals are sponsored deals which are often not very good
Loving this phenomena! Got $5 Jeans @ Joe Fresh though Facebook deals (normally $20!) & through Groupon/Living Social I’ve connected with great service providers. The downside is sometime popularity of the deal means waiting a long time for an appointment – but the wait is usually worth it!
RedFlagDeals.com was actually one of the first sites that I discovered a few years ago. I agree it has a lot to offer, and thanks for the info regarding Groupon deals being included on their website. Your point about Facebook is well taken – privacy issues are always a concern. Thanks for your comment.
Good point. I guess it makes sense if a deal is great that perhaps you have to wait a bit to enjoy a service. I always think of these deals for actual products, not services. Thanks for your comment.