Local deal sites rock!

• Dozen artisan cupcakes? yes
• One month fitness studio membership? yes
• Wine tasting? yes
• Amazon gift certificate? yes
• Trapeze lessons? yes

From the practical to the whimsical, I have bought it all on sites like groupon, living social and tippr. It’s soooo nice when I open my morning’s email & start the daily grind, a little email will pop up offering an escape. I am open to the idea of anything at 7:30 am. Why not? It gives me 5 minutes of diversion before starting my day. It’s like window shopping black Friday deals every morning.

I think it’s very smart these sites email their deals early in the day (usually between 7-9 AM), because that is generally when many working professionals start their days. Marketers who send their messages super early (4-6 AM), presumably with the idea they’ll be first in my inbox, get their messages buried. Between 7-9 AM I’m not in my full swing yet & distracted and sometimes I’m even sleepy enough to buy something without thinking on it.

One area these sites might want to explore is partnering with local grocery & drug stores, offering $20 off purchases of $65, that type of thing. With these sites, I’ve tried many retailers I would not have otherwise, and have become a repeat customer. It might be a good way for stores like Metropolitan Market or Pharmaca, that are perceived as pricier than other retailers but offer very good quality, to attract a new market segment.