Perhaps, the titanic idea of Group buying sites is too uncomplicated, to brood over who conceived it. Such sites advance the supremacy of collective bargaining, while providing incredible discounts. These discounts, offer huge savings for the customer and ensures remarkable sales number to participating merchants at the same time. The outcome has made these deal sites exceedingly famous and profitable for all parties involved. In November 2008, Groupon had launched a site that offered daily deals and ridiculous discounts for Chicago consigners, managing to rope in substantial number of commitments from people, to purchase the deal online that very day. As soon as one grasps the collective buying power idea, the term Groupon will become common household. Most deal sites have a daily email format, each one comprising of a big ‘Click-To-Buy’ option, vibrant design and clever write ups; not to mention the alliance with Twitter and Facebook. Today, there are many online sample sites that have erupted to mimic Groupon.
Top Groupon like Group Buying Websites in India
Deals and You – Yet another website that provides amazing deals. It delivers almost all over India. It has great deals on home decor products such as furniture, bed and bath, bar and entertainment. Their aim is most certainly to pioneer the online home décor market in India. They have an array of products to serve people to suite their styles. Snap Deal – Free First Deal at subscription is the first thing, printed in bright bold letter that you see as soon as you enter this site. They have some great deals on spa and beauty service, dining, entertainment, pubs/ lounges and adventure sports. It is a leading website that has been featured on yahoo news, Hindustan times, Network 18, DNA, Economic times, Times of India and the list continues. Mydala – A Delhi based company, offering 35-80% discount for saloons, spa, restaurants, etc. The discounts offered by this deal site are valid only if they are able to sell a certain quantity within a certain time-slot. The buyer is charged only when the target is achieved, else the orders get canceled. The website seems to be a ‘knock-off’ of Groupon. Koovs – A veteran when it comes to group buying startups in India, Koovs has a strong presence in Bangalore, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Chennai. Recently they even went international by covering Singapore. They normally cover multiple deals at a time – from beauty to adventure to electronics. A must check-out site for group buying in India. Dealivore – Dealivore is a daily deals site from a Hyderabad based startup with presence in six Indian cities including Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, New Delhi & Mumbai. This group buying site claims to be a market leader in Hyderabad. They offer 50-80% discount on eat-outs/gym/spa and other lifestyle services. They offer some extra discounts when you sign up with them. Make sure you keep a watch on them as they have just taken off. Scoopstr – Scoopstr is one of the latest entrants in the group buying space. The startup has started from Bangalore and will spreading its wings soon. It’s currently available in Mumbai & New Delhi as well. Like other groupon clones, Scoopstr too promises steep discounts in fitness, beauty, fashion and restaurant services. Do keep an eye on them. Timtara – The name means ‘sparkling star’, in Hindi & they audaciously claim themselves to have “breath of fresh air”. Timtara is just the right deal site for you, if you are on the lookout for gift certificates, electronic durables, mobiles and others. One can also steal great deals on a variety of products such as shoes, flowers, lingerie, computers, watches, etc. The list is endless. Timtara is an excellent online retail destination delivering over 2000 cities it India. Technology, online experience, product quality, delivery, or post sales support – is their promise to all customers. And, for sure, they rock !! I opine that the Indian Gen Y is yet to be accustomed to the trend of purchasing gift vouchers and coupons for shopping. Even though these websites are more or less Groupon clones, they are the best alternatives available to the masses in India. The concept of value buying and sample sale is still at a very embryonic juncture and is being discovered steadily amongst the Indian early adopters.
