Google has impeded on yet another market: Daily Deals. The Daily Deals phenomenon has been pioneered by Groupon and Living Social. While the effects and returns are argued by many restaurant owners, they still exist and patrons love them.
Offers is beta launched in three US cities: New York, Portland and San Fransisco Bay areas. Not sure about the choices, but New York definitely seems like a good option. Hey! Where’s Atlanta? We’re one of the most socially networked cities in the US!
Anyway, what can we expect?
Google plans on marketing the services just like Groupon and Living Social: Optin emails, email marketing, etc. However, they’re missing the boat here. If they integrate it into Maps, GMail and their other, widely-used services, they could easily compete with the two front runners in this space. Right now the offers are syndicated from Yipit.
My advice? If it’s free it’s worth a try, but I would hold out until Google makes this effort for real. If they start integrating across their channels Google Offers will be a powerhouse. Stay tuned!
