Merchants think socially, act locally
The newest trend in e-commerce: Social media meets local networking.
Social commerce site Groupon offers daily deals to nearly two million subscribers in 27 U.S. cities.
When David Morton, owner of the Pompei chain in Chicago, signed up with an Internet startup to offer a coupon online, he expected to sell a few thousand at most. Instead, during the 24 hours the coupon was posted on November 22, more than 9,000 local consumers purchased an offer that got them $10 worth of pizza for $5.
The coupon was an all-time sales record for Chicago-based Groupon, a hot startup that brings the buying power of the masses to the social web. After launching with local merchants in its hometown one year ago, Groupon today offers deals to nearly two million users in 27 cities in the U.S. including New York, Charlotte and Austin.
Here’s how it works: Groupon sends a daily email to subscribers with a deal, or “Groupon,” for a local business or event, like a salon, restaurant, class or concert. If they want in, users then sign on to Groupon’s site to pay by credit card and have a year to redeem the coupon.
Before “the deal is on,” however, a minimum number of users must agree to buy. More
Zynga suddenly is everywhere. What gives?
The social gaming company behind FarmVille is seeking the spotlight. Some analysts sense an IPO.
Mark Pincus, founder and CEO of Zynga
If ever a company had a moment, this is Zynga’s. The small, privately held company that makes games for Facebook and other social networks is getting publicity and attention companies many times its size would love to have.
The force behind the FarmVille sensation has appeared on the front page of the New York Times, and been featured in Time, a BusinessWeek cover story, The Economist, and this website's magazine. During a recent trip to New York, Zynga’s spunky CEO Mark Pincus was scheduling meetings with reporters until he reportedly lost his voice.
Then there are the billboards on Highway 101 in Silicon Valley. Both showcase animated characters from Zynga’s games and attempt to lure employees. Earlier versions showed a black silhouette of a bulldog against a red backdrop (Zynga is named after Pincus’s deceased American Bulldog, Zinga).
The promos – and the flood of (mostly) positive press – have gotten more than a few tongues wagging: Is Zynga priming the public for a stock offering? More
Mixed reviews for iPhone's Rock Band
Photo: Electronic Arts
On Monday, nearly two weeks after Electronic Arts (ERTS) confirmed its imminent arrival, the iPhone version of Rock Band — one of the most successful video game franchises of recent years — showed up on Apple's (AAPL) iTunes App Store to mixed reviews. (App Store link here.)
The lion's share of the first 40 messages on the App Store were one-line positives: "Amazing." "Awesome!" "Saaaaweeeeeett!"
But the longer, more thoughtful — and more useful — reviews were less kind. The main complaints seemed to be that it was too expensive ($9.99), too easy (lacking an "extreme" level), and that some of the advanced features, such as multi-user play over Bluetooth, didn't work as advertised.
The big problem, however, is that the program is 15 months too late.
