Love them or hate them, niche daily deal sites have been on the rise. The way for these smaller daily dealers to see success, is by going above the status quo and not just becoming “another Groupon.”
Here are 5 daily deal sites that I believe are doing some great things:
- AppSumo.com’s Contests.
AppSumo is a daily deals website for digitally distributed goods and online services. Founded in March 2010 by Noah Kagan, they last boasted to have over 700,000 active subscribers. Today, the majority of deals offered are learning based products attempting to teach customers skills such as programming languages, project management, and hiring practices. I voted AppSumo as a deal site to learn from primarily because their use of contests to grow their subscriber base. They will regularly hold socially interactive contests, and when done properly these can be one of the most effective ways to grow your subscriber base. The last contest that I witnessed them run was for a lifetime Linkedin Pro membership in exchange for an email optin. After the optin they encouraged social sharing. It is also important to note that AppSumo’s target audience is a perfect fit for a LinkedIn Pro membership which made the contest even more successful because they generated a specific list of their target market as opposed to a more general list.
- DailySteals.com’s Hook.
One of the ways that daily deals sites can stand apart is through their hook and communication style.
“We scour the world until we’re very, very tired seeking the very best deals we can possibly grab so that you, the customer, get savings you never dreamed of! Our deals are so ridiculous you’ll think we really did steal our items! (But we didn’t! No matter what you hear about ear warmer smuggling rings or exotic waffle maker heists)”. – DailySteals
Many of the DailySteals items listed for sale seem to be too good to be true and make the consumer really think that they are stealing items. When asked how they are able to have such great prices, their response is “we know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy.”
- ScoutMob.com’s Unique Model
ScoutMob is different than a daily deal site. They are an Atlanta-based startup company that provides location-aware coupons to users on their mobile phones. The customer does not have to purchase any deal offered on their site, instead they simply use the ScoutMob app and show it to their server. Being from Atlanta, I use ScoutMob all of the time and love it! ScoutMob is mine and friends’ favorite daily deal site because of their mobility and ease of use. Coupled with the fact that no purchase has to be made makes ScoutMob an incredible service. Scoutmob generates revenue by charging the businesses who run deals on their site a small fee for every coupon that is redeemed. Every business I have ever spoken with that uses ScoutMob has nothing but positive things to say about them.
- Woot.com’s Segmentation
Woot was really one of the pioneers in the daily deal space. Woot’s main website generally offers only one discounted product each day, often a piece of computer hardware or an electronic gadget. Since they launched in 2004, they have successfully segmented their website into other categories like deals for t-shirts, wine, children’s items, household goods, and other categories that offer specific items.
Another huge feature that Woot has going for them are their “Woot-Offs”. A Woot-Off lasts for an unannounced length, usually 24–72 hours. During a Woot-Off, products usually sell out quickly, and when one product sells out, it is replaced within a minute or two by a new product. A percentage bar shows how much stock of the current product remains. I have ended up ordering quite a few products from a Woot Off and witnessed first-hand how powerful their use of timers and quantity timers are on their website.
- GiltCity.com’s Luxury Deals
Gilt City is a location-based deal service similar to Groupon and Living Social. They have worked to stand apart by focusing more on luxury deals. They seek out luxurious events, services, and experiences available in major cities and offer discounts and deals to Gilt Group members. Their mission is to provide access to unique and coveted lifestyle experiences in the world’s most dynamic cities – at insider prices. By focusing more on the luxury deals, they have been able to differentiate themselves and stand apart.
There are hundreds of niche specific deal sites and many are doing some incredible things in the deal space. While I have only touched on the services from the 5 sites mentioned I would love to hear your comments about what your deal site is doing to differentiate yourself and stand apart from the competition.
If you are interested in launching a niche or geographic daily deal site, send us email, give us a call, or visit DailyDealBuilder.com.
Marc D. Horne
support@hcdesk.com
800-794-7192
I originally posted this article on Daily Deal Media
