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Harryj 11/05/2011 02:09 PM Report
Groupon= legalized spam.
Alb 03/30/2011 10:21 AM Report
I think this social buying phenomenon will be devastating for the Industry, it will drag the overall quality down because you can't make miracles and most importantly it's going to change the customers habits. Nobody will want to pay full price for anything anymore. Jumping in Groupons hands is the kiss of death for any restaurant.
The Restaurant Association should do something about it, hire some Lobbyists to prevent the catastrophe around the corner.
Boycott Groupons !
JohnGelles 12/13/2010 03:08 AM Report
Andrew Mason has a vision of local business, including not-for-profit museums and the like, coming on board the ww-web for a better approach to new customers than traditional coupon books and campaigns.
His team really works with the managers of the enterprise to bring experience to them and guarantee them profitable participation--because they do not charge for the exposure until they have a group of "sold" customers.
The problem will always persist, however, that if we allow a recession/depression, there will be a contraction of flush customers that will spiral down as fewer people go to "market" to spend, and few "owners" are able to meet payrolls.
I have a vision, like Andrew Mason. But mine is of a system that can spot a recession before it can spiral effective demand down the toilet, like Keynes warned was possible.
My vision sees the income tax and all its ridiculous costs abandoned. None if its costs add to supply or demand of the necessities of life--the necessities of global prosperity.
Instead of an IRS we create an ESA, economic security agency. Its wholly voluntary. Small, medium and big business participate or not, at their option.
Once the business or not-for-profit joins the "system", it performs an insurance function. When things go south, it directs a stream of money to where it will do the most good. The money is backed by super-production of necessities via high tech automation and robotics. The more money it moves to prevent a shortage of demand, the more production it provides WHEN AND IF NECESSARY to prevent shortages and upward price spirals that can wreck the "system". We leave market forces out of the picture the moment they mess up prosperous supply and demand patterns.
We have a mew paradigm for commercial and service organizations: they work for money that works, not for profit and loss where losses and debt burdens can do damage for not good reason at all.
All this was not possible as current potentials were evolving. Now we are, with Asian production on line, ready for an age of plenty, as though we were all farmers, and all factors, like weather and pests, were fully controlled by the hand of God to support his children as he was wont to do in the garden of Eden before their disobedience changed His original plans.
Questioner 12/12/2010 11:12 AM Report
Yep. According to Groupon, 77 percent of their subscribers are women. Women can be subscribers, but aren't good enough to be on their Board of Directors.
Tsk, Tsk.
austenallred 12/11/2010 10:08 AM Report
They pretend like people are just randomly signing up, which I'm sure is true, but how much are they paying for pay-per-click advertising? I see like 30 Groupon advertisements a day. I don't think it's all just "social marketing," they must be paying loads.
Questioner 12/10/2010 10:09 PM Report
Are most of the subscribers women? Too bad they don't have any on their board of directors. It's a YOUNG BOYS network. C'mon, Mr. Mason, you're more forward thinking than that... aren't you?
JohnGelles 12/10/2010 07:09 PM Report
Deep discount coupons to find customers that cost the business nothing until the coupons are actually used is a business model suitable to the web--and Mason with Group[coup]on has proved it. Will it save small business from hard times? Not much. Debt-free money to soften hard times is a better ides. Mason's thepoint.com answers this need. I have tried to use it. Will I succeed--probably not without Mason himself doing it. He is one great executor.
The total program of better world seekers cum Cleopatra was a stunning success.
ecstatic 12/10/2010 06:27 PM Report
His approach on this "business model" will take him far. To him, it's "an inherently social interaction" that innovates "mom and pop shops," drives people off the internet and into their cities, and will essentially "change the way world."
And it reminds me of a very popular, insightful TED talk "how great leaders inspire action." Some smart people succeed while other smart people don't because they have a vision and they have a strong emotional investment in that vision. After watching this interview, I realize Mason definitely has both.
REMant 12/10/2010 12:37 PM Report
A computerized version of a very, very old "business model." The AARP does it, my insurance company and every alumni association in the country. The real time aspect just makes it possible to figure out whether to accept the contract or not, tho it sounds like they don't do that. Companies could just as well advertise such deals on Ebay or Craig's List, or any number of shopping aggregators, like Priceline, mySimon, etc. The Trader has long operated on a commission basis. I sincerely doubt it will have much impact on small business, because most of them just do not have the capacity either to handle a lot of customers, or to offer steep enough discounts. They would have to have some kind of similar connection to a source of investment. I also think this is mostly a phenomenon of this particular time in history.