Groupon’s Dark Days and What It Means for Consumers and Merchants

GrouponGroupon is in trouble, an observation that can be made just by seeing the decline of the daily-deals company’s emails. Chances are, Groupon will be dead in 2013, according to one writer. There are three reasons why: 1) Groupon was and is a bad deal for most businesses, 2) businesses that need Groupon’s services most are bad for Groupon, and 3) the “Napster Effect” (i.e., people don’t like to pay for things, much less full-price things). For shoppers and merchants, Groupon’s woes are a call to use those deal vouchers as soon as possible. For merchants, the recommendation is to take care of your existing customer base, maybe by rewarding them with loyalty promotions and excellent service. (NewMediaRockstars, ConsumerAffairs)