<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"People love Groupon. When something is worth $18 billion dollars, what other conclusion can I reach? I\u2019ve tried it though, and I have never been particularly enthused over the deal site. \nYes, I am a member and I\u2019m letting Groupon push me updates wherever and whenever it finds them. There are some good dinner values, like $98 dinner for two for just $39. But for every one of those delectable deals is an offer for a spa or body treatment.\nI just don\u2019t get that excited by deals for spider-vein removal and laser hair-removal treatments. This is one of Groupon\u2019s fundamental flaws: It simply can\u2019t know what you want, when you want it. Deals in your area are fine, but they assume that you might be interested in that Caribbean dinner or private fencing lessons. Sure, I\u2019m all for serendipity. Perhaps I\u2019d find that I love fencing and be glad that Groupon showed me the way. \nThose looking for deals have, I think very specific needs. If they\u2019re in the market for a dinner, some kind of lesson or maybe a makeover, then perhaps they\u2019d appreciate Groupon\u2019s typical deal choice. On the other hand, those shopping for something more specific, like a laptop, new HDTV, a pair of shoes or pants, might be frustrated. I have trouble finding anything of value on Groupon. I don\u2019t need \u201C$50-to-$100 off Framed Artwork\u201D or money off a tuxedo. \nI actually find the way Groupon goes from here is a great deal to \u201CBuy!\u201D somewhat off-putting. And by \u201CBuy,\u201D Groupon means: Give us your credit card info now. Then you have to wait for enough people to also take the deal before you even get the coupon. Sorry, but I don\u2019t give out my credit card info just for the chance to access a deal. \u201CBuy!\u201D is too much pressure for me. If I\u2019m reading the Sunday paper and checking out the flyers for the latest electronics deals, I do not have to take any action except collect the best deals \u2014 by circling or tearing them out \u2014 and then deciding later if I want to buy any of them. With Groupon, its aggressive approach can be off-putting.\nI must be missing something.  As I said earlier, Groupon just pulled off an incredibly successful IPO. It\u2019s now worth billions. I turned, as I often do, to Twitter and Google+. I wanted to know if 1) they thought Groupon is overvalued, 2) do they even like the service, and 3) if they could help me love Groupon just a little bit.\nOn Twitter, virtually everyone who responded directly to me said Groupon is not worth $18 billion. This comment from @HTownChowDown was pretty typical: \n\u201CGroupon's valuation is insane. It's a mailing list, and an idea with tiny barriers to entry. They'll be gone in 18 months.\u201D \nAnd this one from @garysimmons put the whole matter into perspective:\n\u201DSo Groupon is worth $18B, but RIM only $10B? The stock market is weird and wonderful.\u201D\nOver on Google+ there was a little more ambivalence. No one is ready to say Groupon is an $18 billion company, and only a few grudgingly said they like the service. Still, even as some cast doubts on Groupon, they copped to using the service\u2019s deals.\nChristopher Brightwell said, \n\u201CIt's great for the buyer but it's arguable Groupon is bad for the vendor. That said, as I write this, I'm noshing on some BBQ purchased via a Groupon deal. \nThis was a fairly common sentiment and a worry I\u2019ve heard elsewhere: Groupon is not paying off for vendor partners. Merchants post deals to drive traffic into their stores and build customer retention. It seems they get one, but not always the other. In one study, 82% of retailers running a Groupon promotion were \u201CUnsatisfied with the Level of Repeat Business.\u201D \nThis is not surprising. People will come to a new store \u2014 any store \u2014 for a really good deal, but that does not mean they become devoted customers. One could argue that that\u2019s the merchant\u2019s fault. What are they doing around the deal to bring people back? \nThe other problem is competition. I\u2019m not a deals person, but I have noticed the new deals Amazon is sending me. I\u2019m a member there, too, but for far more than just deals. I buy books, gadgets, movies and more with Amazon. Oddly, Amazon\u2019s deals seem even more local than Groupon\u2019s. Still, I have not acted on a single Amazon deal. \nTo my mind, the deals business is fundamentally flawed and may flame out, but not before Groupon has its $18 billion moment in the sun. With all that good will and capital, Groupon may hit upon one or more strategies adjacent to or outside of deals that make it a lasting success.\nFor now, though, I still don\u2019t love it. Thanks for trying, folks.\nBonus: Groupon's Rise from Startup to IPO Hit \n\n\nGroupon's Major Milestones\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGroupon Offers One Local Deal Per Day, Nov. 2008\n\nThe social buying website Groupon provides one remarkable deal every day for each city they support - Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, and Washington DC.\nUsers can also subscribe to the Groupon mailing list to make sure they have the daily deals emailed to them.\nImage courtesy of Flickr, Jason Rosenberg\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGroupon's Staff and Company Worth Skyrockets\n\nAfter Groupon's launch in 2008, the company's staff rose to over 350 in a year and a half, and was worth over $1 billion within 16 months.\nImage courtesy of Online MBA, Online MBA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGroupon Launches App for iPhone and Android, March 2010\n\nGroupon's mobile application offers the same complements as the website and allows users to obtain deals and view their purchased Groupons from their mobile phones.\nImage courtesy of iStock, MerveKarahan\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\neBay Highlights Groupon Daily Deals, Oct. 2010\n\nIn 2010, Groupon and online auction house eBay agree to a business relationship that placed regional daily deals on the pages that eBay users visit.\nMembers of eBay's rewards program earn 5% of each Groupon purchase amount in eBay bucks, which members could use towards other items on eBay.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGroupon Turns Down Google's $6 Billion Offer, Dec. 2010\nGroupon decides that is it better off independent and rejects Google's $6 billion acquisition offer.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGroupon Raises $950 Million, Jan. 2011\n\nAfter rejecting Google's $6 billion offer, Groupon raises $950 million from several venture capital firms and late-stage investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Battery Ventures, DST, Greylock Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield &amp; Byers, and Maverick Capital, among others.\nImage courtesy of iStockphoto, slobo\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSocial Buying Competitors\n\nAfter the launch of Groupon, many more group buying sites popped up on the web every day. A few of the popular social buying websites over the past few years include LivingSocial, My Daily Deals, Jasmere, 8 Coupons, Tippr, Dealster and Scoop St.\nImage courtesy of iStock, fazon1\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFoursquare and Groupon Pair Up, July 2011\n\nFoursquare users in the U.S and Canada can  find Groupon's daily deals in the Explore tab of the Foursquare application.\nImage courtesy of iStock, MerveKarahan\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGroupon vs LivingSocial, Aug. 2011\n\nFrom 2010 to 2011, the number of visits to the LivingSocial website came close to the visits to the Groupon site. Visits to Groupon's site also dropped %.5 between May and August of 2011.\nImage courtesy of Online Marketing Trends, Online Marketing Trends\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGroupon's Revenue Growth Plummets, Oct. 2011\n\nAt %111 growth in the fourth quarter in 2010, Groupon plummets to %10 in the third quarter in 2011.\nImage courtesy of Yipit, Yipit\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGRPN Begins Trading, Nov. 2011\nGroupon raises $700 million after setting its strike price, and begins trading publicly Nov. 4. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2011/11/04/groupon-opinion-please-help-me-love-groupon/>