Where do you look if you want to buy dinner cruise tickets, a week of in-home cleaning services, ten belly-dancing classes and a session of liposuction—and get 50-90% off the retail price all in the same place? On any of the dozen-plus coupon or deal-a-day websites that have popped up in the past couple years.
Designed to attract new consumers and boost business, Groupon, Living Social, Gilt City and various others have done for online sales of services, what Walmart and Costco did for CPG (consumer packaged goods) sales—everything under one roof!
The best part—it’s way too easy. Simply sign up for the website’s e-newsletter and each deals day specific to your city, with some offering a handful of deals covering a wide range of services, products and travel packages are delivered straight to your inbox. When you see something that tickles your fancy, you buy it. All deals have specific instructions and deals may vary from site to site, but as long as enough of your fellow bargain-hunters buy the same item (a predetermined minimum is advertised on each deal) you just book an appointment and present your coupon to receive the discounted price.
This trend is ideal for people who want to check out new places, services and experiences without investing a lot of money; but with dozens of choices out there it’s important to be picky when deciding which ones to give your e-mail address to.
Moxy shares their favorites to help you narrow down the deal offerings:
The Founding Father: Groupon
We love it because… It started the craze. Groupon covers everything from teeth whitening to trapeze classes to children’s clothing; and it covers the world. Going to Norway on holiday? Check Groupon’s Norway site to save some pennies.
Who should sign up? Those who are on-the-go. Groupon’s easy-to-use iPhone/Droid application allows you search deals in your immediate area and purchase at the click of a button. For the more spontaneous shopper the company recently launched Groupon Now!, which offers deals that you can purchase and use immediately. Groupon Now! also varies from the original model in that there is no predetermined minimum, so even if you’re the only one who finds the deal worthwhile.
Slight Imperfection: While the site is finally toying with vacation discounts, so far it is only offering weekend deals on a national level. If you are looking for a variety of getaway options, there are better choices.
The Place to Get it All: Living Social
We love it because… It really does have it all. It also offers deals everywhere. Live on the Upper East Side of Mahattan? There is a location specific to you. Looking for something to do with your kids on vacation in Edinburgh? Check out the Edinburgh Families edition. The site, and its complementary iPhone/Droid app, also has Instant Deals, where impatient bargain aficionados can find instant gratification.
Who should sign up? Travel-addicts looking for anything from a winery weekend to a five-day all-inclusive Caribbean holiday (escapes.livingsocial.com) and website design geeks–the site and app is very smooth and nice to look at.
Slight Imperfection: Its ‘something for everything’ approach can make it irrelevant at times and nearby neighborhoods sometimes overlap deals (i.e. Midtown and Downtown NYC).
Coupon’s Classy Side: Gilt City
We love it because… It feels fancy. With tickets to charity balls and concerts, passes to country clubs, deals for spa days and multi-course upscale dinners, Gilt City is a pass to experiences that are potentially outside your everyday routine — and your budget. The cool-looking app notifies you when the day’s deals are about to kick-off, encouraging people to hustle over to the website.
Who should sign up? Anyone interested in experiencing a more luxurious life than their budget allows.
Slight Imperfection: Deals sell out fast, and oversell, so if it’s something you have to book – do it early!
Adventure City: Zozi
We love it because… According to their website, they are “in the business of inspiring people to live life to the fullest.” Zozi is the place to look if you want to try something new, whether it is rock climbing, pistol and firearm training or a hiking/yoga trip in Canyonlands National Park.
Who should sign up? Adventurers who are looking to leap, climb, ride or stretch out of their comfort zone.
Slight Imperfection: The adventures are varied and enticing, but there is a good chance you could find some of them, such as marathon training and bike rentals, for an equal or cheaper price elsewhere.
The Go-To for Going Places: Travelzoo
We love it because… Although less frequent than your dailies above, the bargains are a steal. It’s Top 20 travel sales—which have been around way before the word Groupon hit Wikipedia—may not fit into the group coupon genre but if you want to head to Europe with three friends to stay in a villa and drive the countryside, airfare included, look no further. It recently began offering targeted local culinary, entertainment and spa deals that beat out the rest.
Who should sign up? Everyone who wants to get out of town.
Slight Imperfection: They sell a lot of vouchers for their local deals, so book appointments early. As for the travel site, you are often redirected to company sites to search for deals, which can be frustrating, but it’s usually worth the effort.
Other websites on our list:
BuyWithMe: Worthwhile deals that tend to focus on food, drink and health and beauty.
KGB Deals: This site can help you fill up on baked goods, get in shape, makeover your skin, go to Cancun, stock up on jewelry and lingerie, teach your kid to spell, have organic food delivered, heal your body with ionic power… you get the picture.
Scoutmob: For this one, it’s better to have the app. There is nothing to buy; all you do is print a voucher, or just log into your phone app, and show it at the restaurant or store. While the discounts are smaller (10-50% off), there’s no purchase required.
One of the best outcomes of this trend of fabulous bargains is awesome gift ideas. The holiday season can get very expensive. Most of these sites are available in major cities across America — and some internationally—so sign up wherever your loved ones live, and watch the gift ideas flood your inbox.
Written by Elizabeth Louise Hatt for Moxy Magazine, August 2011. Image Courtesy of flickr.com user Duane_Brown.
And while you’re signing up for all of these go ahead and sign up for a new email account that will just be given to these deal sites – thereby collecting all your deals in one place and not overloading the email account you use for general use (like with friends, family, or job leads etc.). Especially if on top of these you also use any of the couponing websites for deals at grocery and other local stores (target, Ulta, CVS, etc.). These can flood your box more than once a day and I know my mom gets antsy if I miss responding to any of her buried emails
I regret not setting up a separate email to collect deals, so don’t learn that the hard way like I did 
Thanks for the idea Diana!!
Oh Diana, how right you are! Id have liked to add some recommendations on how to manage these sites. For one, if your email allows you to add an alias email address, DO IT! Or learn to use the filters function. All mine come to my main inbox, but they automatically have an “e-newsletters” label applied so I can easily delete or archive them when I dont want to be tempted to run up the CC. The same goes for what I buy – they are all filtered into a “coupons” folder and removed as I print/use them.
As for the printouts… if you could only see my bulletin board! ha!
Thanks for the advice. I definitely think its worth having a separate email for e-newsletters.