Bob Phibbs

BrainTrust Query: Is the (Daily) Deal Finally Done?

February 2, 2012

FROM RETAILWIRE:
One short year ago, the hype around daily deals was electric. In the analyst community, you could barely get through a day without hearing something about players growing at a meteoric pace. On Jan. 19, Techcrunch reported that in the last half of 2011 alone, 798 daily deal sites folded. What do you see as the future of daily deal services?      [more...]

If we have heard anything from pundits it is that shoppers will only buy on "deals" or sales. While the mania seems to subside, the deal sites prey on small business owners' hope. Hoping they can attract new customer. Hoping they can be a successful store.

Except of course, the odds are slim, as we saw yesterday. Hope will keep these deal sites alive.

I wrote about this phenomenon 18 months ago that Groupon and the rest are the worst way to market your retail business.

As Alexander Pope said 250 years ago, "Hope springs eternal" For that reason, I don't think they are done.