Foursquare rolls out Groupon Now deals
Massage therapists rejoice! The biggest daily deals site is now reportedly offering savings for what's going down near wherever Foursquare users are.
- Finalist for the Nesta Tipping Point prize and a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
It just became much easier to stalk a half-price soup and sandwich combo around the corner or save on a yoga class starting in your neighborhood at the top of the hour. That's because Groupon's service Groupon Now has joined the roster of deals services integrated into Foursquare.
Daily deals have already been available on Foursquare from competitors like LivingSocial for a little while, but the big boy on the bargain scene has been conspicuously absent. Turns out that's because Groupon and Foursquare were busy working out a deal to do location-based offers, according to a Mashable report published today.
The way it works is pretty simple. Foursquare shows users Groupon Now deals that are available nearby, and both companies take a cut if a user purchases the deal. It's a coup for both companies, because Groupon gets a platform to easily roll out Groupon Now, which has only been available in select cities, and Foursquare adds the whale of daily deal services to its offerings.
The deal is also a score for local merchants, who can more specifically target slow days and times and prime the pump for business with a Groupon Now deal. Groupon is a large enough player with a critical mass of users between its subscribers and now Foursquare that we can expect to see some new cultural memes emerge from the deal. I'm banking on Flashmobs of massage therapists setting up in parks just for a limited time Groupon Now deal. I want a cut for coming up with the idea on that one, massage therapists.