Type of site | Electronic commerce deal-of-the-day |
---|---|
Available in | English and others |
Owner | |
URL |
www |
Commercial | Yes |
Registration | None |
Launched | May 26, 2011 [1] |
Current status | Offline |
Google Offers was a service offering discounts and coupons. Initially, it was a deal-of-the-day website similar to Groupon, but it later changed focus. Rather than a small number of prepaid offers, it instead offered many smaller discounts. It is additionally integrated with both Google Maps and Google Wallet for mobile offers. [2] In 2014, Google announced it would be shutting the service down.
In 2011, Google began to drop hints of entering the Offers market. Nate Tyler, a Google spokesman, stated that the company is "communicating with small businesses to enlist their support and participation in a test of a prepaid offers/vouchers program. This initiative is part of an ongoing effort at Google to make new products … that connect businesses with customers in new ways." [3] Users receive an e-mail with a local deal of the day. They then have the opportunity to buy that deal within a specific time limit (usually 24 hours). Unlike Groupon, an offer on Google Offers is valid regardless of how many people take it. [4] [5] Google Offers is powered by Google Checkout [6] and integrates with Google Wallet. [1] It will also include Facebook, Twitter, Google Reader, Google Buzz and e-mail sharing options. [7] Google Offers development information was leaked after a failed attempt by Google to buy Groupon for US$6 billion in December 2010. [8]
On April 21, 2011, via Google Places Facebook page, it was announced that "Offers BETA is coming", and provided a link to a signup page listing a few select cities, with the first beta city being Portland, Oregon. [9] [10]
On May 26, 2011, the service was officially launched; the first offer was on June 1, for Floyd's Coffee Shop in Portland. [1] During its first month, the most popular deal was $20 worth of Powell's Books merchandise for $10: "5,000 Powell’s vouchers sold out in a matter of hours." [11] That deal's price turned out to be Google Offers' median offer price for the month. [11]
On July 12, 2011, service was expanded to New York and the San Francisco Bay Area. [12]
On July 4, 2012, Google Offers Chrome extension was launched. [13] This extension has been "retired". [14]
On March 6, 2013, offer extensions in AdWords were launched, allowing businesses to distribute promotions through their AdWords campaigns. These offers are discoverable when a user searches for a business, brand, product, or service. They save the offer to their Google Account from the Search ad and then redeem in-store or online. [15]
In March 2014, Google announced that it would be shutting the service down. [16]