BuyWithMe has discovered that acquisition as a growth strategy does not always work. The No. 3 daily deals site behind Groupon and Living Social has laid off the bulk of its staff in what is described as a “last ditch effort” to sell the company, according to the firm’s former marketing director Ian Boschen. READ MORE
Google Offers, the daily deals service Google launched in June that now operates in the New York City, San Francisco and Portland areas, will soon be benefiting from the company’s acquisition of Dealmap, a site that posts aggregated deals, discounts, and coupons to a local map, reports ZDNet. Dealmap says it has more than two million users of its web, mobile, social and e-mail products, and more than 85 million monthly visitors to its partner network. READ MORE
Following up on its prime competitor Groupon’s $750 million IPO earlier this month, LivingSocial is reportedly in talks with bankers to file an initial public offering of its own. According to CNBC, the IPO would be valued between $10 and $15 billion. READ MORE
In a unique twist on daily deals, Loopt has entered the arena with a new service called U-Deals which lets consumers request their own discounts. After submitting an idea for a deal, users can then drum up interest by way of social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. If the deal receives enough support, Loopt will contact the business and request that they offer the deal. READ MORE
While it’s true Groupon copycats have been popping up all over the place, AT&T and a novel start-up called thruSocial are the newest players to throw down with the online coupon giant. According to Mashable‘s Todd Wasserman, AT&T is preregistering coupon lovers in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth for a service that will send daily deals to consumers via its yp.com. The telecom giant also is offering $10 off a first deal for people in those cities who sign up through May 22. READ MORE
