Click here for list/links to Group Buying & Daily Deal Websites
Group buying sites or Daily Deal Sites, as some like to be known, have really started to take off recently in the UK.They are a great new money-saving trend that have made their way from the States.You can save a serious amount of money and possibly make some too.
Not only are there great deals on hairdressing, beauty/spa treatments, activities, weekend breaks, holidays, clothes etc but they make you aware of doing things you had maybe not thought of doing before. The timing is perfect too as people are tightening their belts and looking to save pennies here and there. It's allowing you to still have those little treats.
A friend of mine told me yesterday that she had booked, with her daughter, to have her hair cut, highlights and conditioning treatment in a Bond Street salon, she was then off to dinner at The Hilton and then a show in the evening all on these deals.
I love a good bargain and one of the first things I do when I turn on my computer in the morning is check out the daily deals from the various group buying websites that I've signed up for. I must admit I find it exciting and it is making me aware of doing things that I had not thought of before, or could afford to do for that matter.
There are numerous sites in the UK and new ones starting up almost daily (I have listed some below). Initially all you do is sign up for a free daily email. I have set up a folder so that all my group buying emails automatically go into the one folder so that they do not clog up my inbox and I can view them all in the same place. If you don't know how to set this up on your computer, click here for instructions. Some people set up a new email address to receive these emails but it would be easy to forget to check it. I think it is much easier to click a folder within your mail box.
Deals are mostly based on your local area but I like to check out the deals in other nearby areas especially if I know that in a month or so I will be visiting a particular area. If a deal is good enough it is worth travelling that bit further and making a day or weekend of it. The biggest site is Groupon and I usually check the deals in Essex, London, London Special, National, Brighton, Cambridge and Norwich.
How It Works
As I mentioned you sign up for a free daily email, and get heavily discounted offers from local businesses. Usually you get one a day in your area. Most deals run from midnight for 24 hours, although some run for several days.
If you are tempted by one of the deals, you enter your payment details (debit or credit card). Most deals require a minimum number of people to sign up before they are activated. Once the minimum number of people sign up the deal is confirmed as on. It is not until then that your card is debited, if the deal does not go ahead you pay nothing.
The voucher is then sent to you via email once the deal has ended. You print the voucher and phone the retailer to book your deal and take it along with you.
The vouchers do have an expiry date, usually within three to four months so you must make sure you use them otherwise you lose them.
Most sites offer a money-back guarantee and will refund the purchase if you are unhappy with it as long as it has not been used. You have rights when you buy on-line, there is generally a seven-day "cooling off" period. If you cancel in that time you are entitled to a full refund.
Some allow you to make a little cash on the side by referring deals to friends and family. If they buy, your account is then credited with a bonus. Groupon and KGB offer a £6 credit to your account which you can then use on deals, although these have a time limit.
What to watch out for
You must be careful with these sites, as although you can definitely get a bargain, the main thing you need to ask yourself is whether it's money you would have spent in the first place as most of the offers are for treats. Don't get sucked into buying things you don't want just because they are a bargain.
It is important to read the small print before you buy a deal. Take note of the expiry date and make sure that you are going to be able to use it before that date. Check exactly what the deal is offering and, if it is a hotel or restaurant, check if there are any days or dates that you cannot use the deal. I have found some of the hotel deals which look really great can only be used on a Monday to Friday and do not include the weekends. Also there is the odd restaurant deal that cannot be used on a Saturday night. As long as you check this before you purchase the deal you won't have any nasty surprises.
I like to check out a restaurant or hotel first too. Read the reviews and check out the menu. I saw a good deal but when I looked at the website decided it was not really what I was expecting. Infact, whatever the deal it is worth checking their website first.
Try to book your deal soon after you receive your voucher, if a lot of deals were sold you may have trouble getting the dates you want. I always keep an eye on how many deals are sold which gives me an idea of how quick I need to be booking a date. You can book the day after the deal has ended and you have received your voucher.
It's a win win situation for all parties involved. The consumer who is getting extremely cheap deals, the next biggest winner is the site that runs the deal because they take a large commission, then of course the businesses who offer the deals. Although they offer huge deals, often at a loss, they do enjoy huge exposure across email, facebook, mobile apps etc for the whole time of the deal. Many of these businesses see it as a good way of advertising and getting new customers. They offer a discount now in the hope of getting repeat business at their normal price in the future.
Bigger high street retailers like ASOS and have recently launched deals on Groupon. The bodyshop was driving customers in store with a voucher for £30 worth of bodyshop items for only £12 and ASOS customers could buy a voucher worth £20 for £9. Hopefully more of these types of retailers will join the trend in the future. More and more businesses are using voucher codes to entice customers, and so more businesses may be looking to get their offers onto group buying sites.
Incahoot is a group buying site that is a bit different in that it offers deals on utilities such as gas, electricity, broadband and mobile phones and members can secure long-term deals with these home suppliers.
In January Google attempted to buy Groupon and after being rejected is planning to launch Google Offers, Amazon invested heavily in LivingSocial. Facebook is said to be launching it's own offering Buy with Friends. Virgin are exploring the launch of a daily deals service and even Kate Garroway has her own group buying site.
What makes these sites work is the rise in social media and the ability for people to share great deals across their personal networks online.
Group buying is where retail marketing is headed for the future and we are definitely going to benefit from it!
This article was written purely from a ‘what’s the best way to save money?’ stance. I have however included ‘affiliate links’ to some of the business links. While these look and work the same way as normal links, if someone clicks through, the link is tracked and it generates a payment to the site. The links make no difference to what is written in the article. The article is written then I look to see which ‘affiliate links’ I can add. If you do not want to click on these links you can always google the site names yourself.
In this particular article probably about half of the links are “affiliate links” and the other half are not.
KGB (UK) Limited
Invite your friends. Earn £6 for every friend that buys a deal. (Can earn up to
£120)
New deals every day London, National, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol,
Leeds, Sheffield, Cardiff, Liverpool and Edinburgh.
Receive £10 when you invite a friend to join in March
Deals on luxury designer brands of clothing, shoes, accessories, jewellery,
underwear, cosmetics and homeware.Many
big designer brands heavily discounted.
My Lo Deals
Offers £5 to each friend that purchases through your link
Discount deals in the London area only. You can choose the area of London you
wish to view deals.They have Student offers in Cambridge,
Bristol, Birmingham, Durham, Exeter, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle,
Nottingham, Oxford, Sheffield.
Tickets.co.uk
A
new niche website that allows users to experience fun and exciting things to do
in and around London without breaking the bank was launched 21st
March 2011. With its numerous
activities, exciting social scene and established tourism London is a natural
place for collective buying to flourish said entrepreneur, Peter Le
Masurier. Read More....
The current offer is for Live Mid Week Comedy for Two at The ComedyCafe with Entry, Cocktails and Nachos to share
for £11.45 (Value up to £19)
Goodypass.com
This site was started by Breakfast TV star Kate Garraway. She works with a wide
range of retailers and suppliers to develop fantastic deals. Beauty treatments,
adventure days out
Livingsocial.com
Deals in London, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Dublin, Edinburgh,
Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, North London, Sheffield, West
Londdon,
Wowcher.co.uk
Quite a new site so there are not many deals on here yet.
Keynoir.com
Previous offers have been Zorbing experience in Surrey, £49, Entry into Chelsea's
Rumi Lounge with 2 free drinks £4 and more.
Toptablespotlight.com
£20 for £40 voucher to spend in the daily spotlight restaurant
How to send emails to a specific folder in Outlook Express or Windows Mail
To set up an incoming Mail Filter in Windows Live – Hotmail
Then
Here is the link to set up a filter in Yahoo
A new niche website that allows users to experience fun and exciting things to do in and around London without breaking the bank was launched 21st March 2011. With its numerous activities, exciting social scene and established tourism London is a natural place for collective buying to flourish said entrepreneur, Peter Le Masurier, founder of tickets.co.uk. "I am offering customers a unique experience to explore new avenues with great entertainment deals and offering local businesses the opportunity to develop new streams of revenue, a win win for all.Indeed, this will change the way entertainment businesses think about marketing forever and during this current economic climate both users and businesses need help".
By providing local businesses with the ability to sell through collective buying, tickets.co.uk can unlock previously unheard of discounts. A deal only becomes live when a specific number of users have signed up to the deal and then the deal is 'tipped' or 'on' guaranteeing a specific volume of sales! tickets.co.uk users are encouraged to tell their friends and share the information and will receive daily updates and alerts regarding new deals.
Saving money for customers and driving those customers to local businesses tickets.co.uk has created a social buzz that brings customers and local businesses together. Peter Le Masurier says "this is not just about great deals this is about all people experiencing local entertainment and having fun in their town"
tickets.co.uk will be offering niche deals for entertainment based activities, such as comedy nights, sporting events, music concerts and theatre production, to name but a few.Aimed at the user who wants to take advantage of what London has to offer, tickets.co.uk will be tracking down the best deals.