WebProNews

Tag: Deals

  • All 4G Smartphones Free At T-Mobile For One-Day Valentine’s Sale

    Looking for a gift for your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day? Are they on a diet or allergic to roses? T-Mobile thinks that nothing says I love you like a new phone.

    This Saturday, February 11th, for one day only, T-Mobile is offering all of their 4G smartphones for free with a 2-year contract. This deal includes the Samsung Galaxy S II, HTC Amaze 4G, Nokia Lumia 710, Balckberry Bold 9900 4G, HTC Wildfire 4G, and more. The deal also includes a selection of tablets like the T-Mobile springBoard with Google.

    The “free” part will come in the form of a mail-in rebate when you sign up for a qualifying “Classic Plan.”

    T-Mobile is promoting this with an ad campaign, and you can watch the video below. Full press release is available after the clip (so you can scour it for all the little fine print).

    PRESS RELEASE: In the spirit of the season, T-Mobile USA, Inc. will show consumers lots of love with another jaw-dropping promotion for its “Valentine’s Day Sale.” For one day only, Saturday, Feb. 11, T-Mobile will give customers the chance to get their hands on the latest 4G smartphones and select tablets for free, making a perfect gift for loved ones or themselves. The promotion includes T-Mobile’s fastest 4G smartphones and select tablets running on America’s Largest 4G Network® such as the Samsung Galaxy S™ II1 and the T-Mobile® SpringBoard™ with Google™.

    New and existing eligible customers can take advantage of this deal receiving their device for free after a mail-in rebate card when they sign up for a new two-year contract on any qualifying Classic Plan™2 or for a $0.00 down payment after mail-in rebate card when signing up on a qualifying Unlimited Value™3 plan.

    “T-Mobile has a commitment to make the 4G experience affordable and accessible to everyone, so this sweet deal on smartphones and tablets is our Valentine’s gift to consumers,” said John Clelland, senior vice president of marketing, T-Mobile USA. “No matter where loved ones live, T-Mobile wants to bring them closer with unlimited talking, photo sharing, video chatting, texting, and more.”

    A recent online Omnibus survey4 with Harris Interactive found that four-in-ten (44%) of first time smartphone buyers in 2012 say the cost of the data plan associated with the smartphone is the most influential reason they have not purchased a smartphone before. The value for customers extends beyond the “Valentine’s Day Sale” as T-Mobile offers the best rate plan pricing on America’s Largest 4G Network.

    The following is a sample of the exceptional devices available during the “Valentine’s Day Sale” if customers choose to sign up on a two-year Classic Plan™:

    The “Valentine’s Day Sale” will be available on Feb.11 at participating T-Mobile retail stores nationwide and T-Mobile will support the promotion with a national television advertising campaign. For more information about T-Mobile’s “Valentine’s Day Sale” and details about qualifying plans, visit http://bit.ly/z36M9c.

    1 Devices must be supported with the following data requirements: voice phones: 200 MB data; most smartphones: 2 GB data; 42 Mbps devices (Amaze and Galaxy S II): 5 GB data.

    2Standard upgrade eligibility rules apply for existing Classic customers that stay on a Classic plan; standard migration fees will apply for existing Classic customers that switch to a Value plan and have less than 18 months contract tenure.

    3 $0 down payment offer not applicable in RI, CT, or Miami-Dade County, FL; customers in these regions will be eligible for a different offer. Equipment installment plans: On approved credit and 0 percent APR. Down payment and unfinanced portion required at purchase. Remaining balance paid in 20 monthly installments. Total post-rebate price of each device equals down payment amount plus monthly payment amount times 20.

    4This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of T-Mobile USA from December 20-22, 2011 among 2,573 adults ages 18 and older, among whom 235 will be first time smartphone buyers in 2012, and 988 are current smartphone users who will remain smartphone users in 2012. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact kmcfadzean@waggeneredstrom.com.

    5 Mail-in rebate not applicable in RI, CT, or Miami-Dade County, FL.

  • Google Offers Cities Now Total 40

    Google Offers continues to expand into more cities. This time, as expected, it’s Oklahoma City and Omaha that now have Google’s deals product, and that brings the grand total of markets to 40.

    Google Offers has been around less than a year, having launched in beta last April – the company’s response to Groupon turning down an acquisition deal. The expansion has been fairly rapid. To be exact, it’s from one to forty cities in 251 days. It stated in Portland.

    @googleoffers
    Google Offers    In just 251 days #GoogleOffers has gone from 1 to 40 cities across the US. Today we add #OKC & #Omaha: http://t.co/IUqqqQp0 50 minutes ago via HootSuite ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Last week, the product launched in Boston, Chicago, Long Beach, L.A .and Washington D.C. A week before that, it was Charlotte, Kansas City, Milwaukee, San Antonio, Tampa and Columbus.

    No word on international expansion yet, but it’s clear that Google has big plans for Google Offers, especially if the company can really get Google Wallet rolling.

    Research has shown that advertisers are interested in getting in on the action. The deals craze itself has been a big enough trend without the Internet giant’s contributions. Groupon is even helping box office performance for movies. Once Google Offers is available everywhere, and further integrated into other Google products, it’s hard to imagine it not being a powerhouse.

    Today’s offer for Oklahoma City users, is $10 for $20 of American fare at Louie’s Grill and Bar. For Omaha, it’s $8 for one ticket to an upcoming Nebraska Huskers Men’s Basketball game.

  • One For The Money Groupon Deal Helps Film At Box Office

    Groupon ran a deal from Lionsgate for tickets for one or two (up to 60% Off) for the movie One For The Money, which opened on January 27. The deal ended just before 12:00PM Central on that day.

    Groupon Lionsgate deal

    Over opening weekend, the movie ended up taking in $11.5 million domestically, which was more than expected. Variety reports:

    According to Lionsgate, 32% of “Money’s” entire audience polled on opening night was aware of the Groupon deal, but only 11% of auds bought tickets using the promotion.

    More telling, however, is that 93% of the film’s Groupon patrons saw “Money” because of the discounted rate. That means just 7% of Groupon auds already intended to see the film, Groupon notwithstanding.

    Clearly, that speaks a great deal about Groupon’s influence. Considering, as Variety’s report indicates, Lionsgate was more aiming at spreading word of mouth for the film than expecting the Groupon deal to significantly boost box office numbers, I’d say they’re content with the strategy.

    This is the second time a Groupon deal has proven effective for Lionsgate, as they also saw similar success with the Lincoln Lawyer last year.

  • Hotmail Gets Deal Ads Instead Of Old School Display Ads

    The deals services of today are essentially glorified email marketing. Groupon gets credit for turning the concept in to a huge mainstream trend, and deals are certainly accessible in other ways, but all in all, it’s still email marketing.

    As long as users are accessing their deals through email, it makes sense then that an email service provider, which already shows display ads, would show deal ads. This appears to be the logic fueling a new strategy by Microsoft.

    According to Greg Sterling at Marketing Land, Microsoft is replacing the display ads in Hotmail with with deal ads. The company is reportedly doing this beginning with a limited pilot program before all users see the changes.

    It doesn’t sound like a bad strategy, and I would not be surprised if Google took a similar approach with Gmail and Google Offers (which continues to frequently expand).

    Hotmail reportedly has somewhere around 45.5 million users in the U.S. That’s 62.7 million for Gmail (comScore).

    According to Sterling, who spoke with Dharmesh Mehta, Director for the Windows and Windows Live Business Group, the deals being advertised in Hotmail are coming from Microsoft itself, as well as from partners. Microsoft’s own Deals offerings include Bing Deals and MSN Offers .

    Earlier this week, comScore put out new data on display ad providers. Facebook is dominating (again), but Microsoft is in third place. Still, the company’s share is under 5%.

  • Google Offers Adds More Deals For Five Cities

    Google announced today that Google Offers users will gain access to an expanded amount of daily deals in five markets.

    The expanded offerings are already available in New York and San Francisco. Now, Boston, Chicago, Long Beach, LA and Washington DC will also get more deals.

    Google has partnered with deal providers CrowdSavings, SpaRahRah and LocalWineEvents.com to grow the offer counts.

    “These partners join Google’s growing roster of specialized deal providers that promote their deals through the Google Offers platform,” says Google Offers software engineer Peet Sasaki. “Our new partners help us bring a greater variety of unique deals to Google Offers customers, giving you more reasons to treat yourself and your friends to a great deal.”

    “And if you take the Google Offers personalization quiz, we’ll only send you the offers that best match your interests each day, so you only get the deals you want, and not the ones you don’t,” adds Sasaki. “All your offers will be personalized to you in one email and they are accessible through the web or on your mobile phone.”

    Google Offers is currently offered in 38 cities in the U.S. with more to come soon. Last week, the product launched in Charlotte, Kansas City, Milwaukee, San Antonio, Tampa and Columbus, promising that Oklahoma City and Omaha would be on the way.

  • Valentine’s Day At Apple Brings Free Engraving, Shipping

    With Valentine’s Day just two weeks away, Apple hopes that a couple of small offers will tempt you into buying your sweetheart an iPad 2.

    “The iPad 2 is attractive, smart, and fun to be around – Just like your Valentine,” says Apple. And with that, they are offering free engraving through the Apple online store. “To my sweetheart, who loves Angry Birds almost as much as she loves me,” perhaps.

    Apple has a Valentine’s Day gift guide as well that suggests iPad accessories, iPhone gifts, as well as designer gifts to compliment various Apple devices.

    Apple is also offering free shipping on any item that’s on the Valentine’s Day gift guide, even if it doesn’t reach the $50 threshold usually set for Apple’s free shipping.

    If you’re going to get your beau an engraved tablet for Valentine’s Day, just make sure they know to get you more than a box of chocolates.

  • Google Offers Launches In Charlotte, Kansas City, Milwaukee, San Antonio & Tampa

    On the Google Commerce blog, Google announced today the launch of Google Offers in 5 new markets: Charlotte, Kansas City, Milwaukee, San Antonio and Tampa.

    Additionally, on Twitter, they announced launch in Columbus.

    @googleoffers
    Google Offers    #GoogleOffers is now live in #Columbus. RT & sign up: http://t.co/iIqXeqE4 10 hours ago via HootSuite · powered by @socialditto

    It’s now available in over 40 markets.

    Google Offers Markets

    “2011 was quite a year for Google Offers. In only six months (since we first launched in Portland) we introduced amazing deals from beloved local business in 33 cities in the U.S., launched national deals and released our first mobile app.”

    Expect Google Offers to continue to gain momentum as it expands into new markets. MerchantCircle put out survey results last month indicating that more businesses intend to use Google Offers than even Groupon in the future. Considering Google’s strategy of integrating its products with one another, this is hardly surprising.

    local marketing

    Google says it plans to launch Offers in Oklahoma City and Omaha soon.

  • Groupon CEO Andrew Mason 60 Minutes Interview: Twitter Reaction

    Did you get a chance to catch Groupon CEO Andrew Mason on 60 Minutes? If not, you can watch the full interview, as well as some post-interview commentary from interviewer Lesley Stahl here.

    Here’s what some people who tuned in to watch the interview had to say about it on Twitter:

    @dhh
    DHH    Groupon scored a sweet deal with 60 Minutes to have such a puff story aired: http://t.co/T5OCpCXq. I wonder if they had a CBS coupon? 20 minutes ago via Tweetie for Mac · powered by @socialditto

    @tfadz
    tfadz    Andrew Mason doesnt come off as very confident in his 60 minutes interview. 7 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    @BuRSSt
    BuRSSt    The real deal with Groupon: Groupon CEO Andrew Mason is in the business of bargains, and business is good. But i… http://t.co/xUPMYSAN 7 hours ago via twitterfeed · powered by @socialditto

    @DrewShelstad
    Drew Shelstad    #60Minutes Andrew Mason is an absolute douchebag. $GRPN is on notice. Won’t exist in 5 years stock price under $10. Accounting?Stutter #fail 7 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    @danrdietz
    dan dietz    Whoever thought that it was a good idea to put Andrew mason on #60minutes is crazy- bad PR move 8 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    @afreck
    Adam    Well, Andrew Mason handled himself pretty well in that interview 8 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    @j40nyc
    Jason Lynn    GRPN’s Andrew Mason just used OJ’s “If I did it” defense on 60 Minutes tonight to explain accounting irregularities. Amazing. 8 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @Danarriola13
    Dan Arriola    Groupon CEO Andrew Mason quoting Wolverine’s Adamantium on 60 min is true geek! I luv it… 8 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    Let us know what you thought of the interview in the comments.

  • Clicky From Groupon Lets You Spin Wheel For Deals

    Groupon has launched a Wheel of Fortune-esque marketing gimmick that lets users log into Facebook and spin a virtual wheel for the chance to win deals with select Groupon merchants.

    It’s called Clicky the Clickable Value Wheel,” and it has kind of a creepy (in a Peter Gabriel video kind of way) face.

    Groupon Clicky

    I haven’t had much luck with it so far:

    Clicky

    At least Groupon is up front about your chances of actually winning.

    “The chances of winning are slim, but not impossible,” says Mike Bennett, the lead developer on Clicky. “We designed the wheel to spin in a way that appears random – like you could potentially win on any given spin – but it’s not actually random, it’s programmatically predestined to ‘win’ 1 out of 1,000 times.”

    The win ratio was determined to ensure the lifetime value of the new customers attracted to Groupon by Click will be greater than the total cost of the program, Groupon says, “thus making the program a practical and sustainable investent for Groupon.”

    “Literally, most people will not win anything,” the company says.

    You have to hand it to Groupon for its honesty. Another example of this comes from the company’s press release about Clicky, which says:

    Clicky, the Clickable Value-Wheel, is one of several potential marketing instruments Groupon has and will continue to test over time, some of which will be successful while others will not.

    Here’s the “story behind Clicky”:

    Groupon will start promoting Clicky gradually over the next few months in over 170 markets in North America.

    What do you think of Clicky?

  • Local Merchants Want to Advertise with Facebook & Google Offers [Infographic]

    MerchantCircle has released the following infographic looking at where local merchants are spending their marketing dollars:

    local marketing

    As you can see, this is more evidence of the rise of Facebook ads.

    A report came out this week indicating that Facebook is getting ready to get into mobile ads. It’s a little surprising they haven’t already done so, but the big IPO is expected to be just around the corner, so that should be another big money maker for the social networking giant.

    In terms of group deals, it’s worth noting that more businesses surveyed intend to use Google Offers than Groupon in the future. I’d say there are two main reasons why it is in last place for those people have used right now. For one, it’s still fairly new. For two, it’s not available in a whole lot of markets yet, though it is rapidly expanding.

    It’s a pretty good sign for Google Offers that it is so close to LivingSocial in the chart. It’s really interesting to see that nearly twice as many people are using “other” as Groupon, though it makes sense, with all of the local-based and vertical-based deals offerings out there.

  • Groupon Takes The Good News With The Bad

    Last year, it seemed like the sky was the limit for Groupon. Every major Internet player had to have a Groupon clone, Google even tried to buy Groupon. Everybody was talking about the service. This year, while some of those things may still be true (Google decided to just move forward with its own deals offering), a much greater percentage of the news about Groupon has been negative.

    This stems from as far back (at least) to the company’s controversial Super Bowl ad.

    Even when there’s good news, the bad is always a click or two away, it seems. Today is no different.

    Groupon is being sued by BidMyCrib.com as it is being accused of altering emails of agreements with merchants after terms had been accepted. Bloomberg reports that Groupon is being accused of violating the Stored Communications Act.

    Groupon is reportedly in some hot water with regulators over breaches of the advertising code (apparently they’ve had 50 of them this year). Two recent ones in particular have drawn regulators’ attention, including one about a breast enhancement ad deemed misleading, and one for a non-existent Ocado product price. The former apparently made a promise that was not consistent with the information obtained at the merchant’s spa, and the second was a delivery pass advertised as “usually priced at” a certain price, and that it was determined that no such product ever actually existed at that price. (via TheGuardian)

    A CRM company called Groupion sued Groupon for trademark infringment, but the court has found the suit to be without merit. In an official court document (via Eric Goldman), the judge says: “Groupion failed to make a showing that there is a likelihood of confusion between its and Groupon’s mark. Therefore, the Court finds that Groupon fails to demonstrate that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law on its infringement claim and, thus, denies Groupon’s motion for summary judgment.”

    Groupon’s stock managed to climb back over the company’s initial stock price of $20 a share. As of the time of this writing, it’s at $21.15.

    In other Groupon news, the company announced the launch of a new calendar service called Groupon Scheduler today.

    The company was also the butt of a Michael Ian Black joke:

    @michaelianblack
    Michael Ian Black    I am tolerant towards every lifestyle except people who use Groupon. 6 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

  • Groupon Scheduler Launched in 2 Cities, More On The Way

    Groupon announced the launch of a new online appointment calendar called Groupon Scheduler. It’s designed to provide Groupon merchants with an easy way to manage their schedules and accept bookings from customers.

    “Groupon Scheduler grew out of technology from our September 2011 acquisition of OpenCal, an innovative company founded in 2009 by product designers Arash Shiva and Simon Vallee in Vancouver, Canada,” says Groupon VP and GM of Retail Solutions David Katz. “We recognized that there were thousands of appointment-based Groupon merchants looking for a simple way to implement online scheduling. Groupon Scheduler can accommodate schedules for different employees, services, and business locations, allowing consumers to book appointments without having to call or email.”

    “Groupon consumers can book appointments with participating merchants through their account on Groupon.com and will receive a reminder email 24 hours before the scheduled appointment,” he explains. “In addition to booking Groupon clientele, merchants can place a ‘Book Now’ button on their website to schedule non-Groupon appointments and manage their entire calendar.”

    The product is available via a pilot program in Sacramento and Miami to begin with, with plans for expansion throughout U.S. markets and internationally in the near future. It’s a little surprising that they didn’t start with their hometown Chicago.

  • Foursquare Extends AMEX Small Business Deals

    Foursquare is extending a promotion that allows users to check-in to certain participating small businesses to receive cash credits on their credit cards.

    The original deals debuted on Small Business Saturday, the day after Black Friday set aside to shop locally, and support all of those small to midsize businesses that shoppers often neglect on the preceding day.

    All users had to do was sync their Foursquare account with their American Express card, and check-in to the participating stores. Once users checked-in, they were given an option to “load to card.” After that, all they had to do was purchase $25 or more at the local merchant and they would be credited $25 back to their card within the next 5 business days.

    On November 26th, over hundreds of thousands of businesses were part of the initiative.

    Now, Foursquare is extending these deals as they were apparently a huge hit last month. This time the deal has lessened a bit – down from $25 for $25 to $20 for $10 – but it works in the exact same way. Users can tack on the $10 credit at participating stores even if they already unlocked the $25 credit.

    Check in at a merchant with a Special (more details below), load the Special to your card, and then pay for your over $10 purchase with your American Express ® Card. No need to show your phone to a cashier or anything – you’ll receive the credit on your Amex statement within 5 business days.

    You can find dozens of deals in your area just by hitting ‘Specials’ on the ‘Explore’ tab on your foursquare app (there are hundreds of thousands of participating businesses).

    Once you sync your card, the explore tab on your Foursquare app will show you nearby AMEX small business deals. Foursquare asks that you help promote the deals and alert others to participating stores in their area by tweeting with the #4sqShopSmall hashtag.

  • Groupon Ready To Start Talking Again

    Groupon Ready To Start Talking Again

    Groupon CEO Andrew Mason posted a statement to the company blog today talking about the company’s quiet period being over, and sharing a few holiday Groupon stats, including 650,000 “Grouponicus” deals between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which he says is a 500% increase from last year.

    Groupon describes Grouponicus as its “annual wintertime celebration, bringing you deals that are perfect for giving, and strategic hoarding.”

    These include local deals, national brand deals, travel deals, and unique products like electronics, home goods, fitness products, etc.

    Grouponicus

    Here’s the statement from Mason:

    The quiet period is over! Our IPO process was a wild ride, but we’re excited to get back to business and are focused squarely on the future. The last six months have been the most productive in our history, seeing the launch of great new services like Groupon NOW, Groupon Rewards, Groupon Getaways, and Groupon Goods. And with the addition of product and travel deals that are handpicked to make perfect gifts, Grouponicus, our corporate wintertime holiday (currently only celebrated in the USA), is off to a roaring start. We sold over 650,000 Grouponicus deals between Black Friday and Cyber Monday – an increase of over 500% from last year – saving consumers millions of dollars, and delivering tons of business to our merchant partners.

    A huge thanks to our customers and merchant partners, who continue to embrace Groupon with a passion that makes us feel like we have the best jobs in the world. We’ve got even more lined up for the next six months than we did in the last six months, so stay tuned! We’re back to communicating like a normal company again… well, as normal as we can muster at Groupon.

    I wonder if this means were going to see a lot more product features announced, as the competition in the deals space isn’t getting much slimmer. Google, which tried to buy Groupon not that long ago, is going full force with Google Offers, frequently adding new markets, with more product integration of its own sure to come.

  • Foursquare Deals Now Include Scoutmob for 13 Cities

    Foursquare announced today that it has partnered with Scoutmob to add 500 new deals throughout 13 cities in the U.S.

    “The best part about Scoutmob Specials? They’re free, don’t require a credit card or up-front purchase, and the deals are often 50-100% off,” Foursquare says on its blog.

    Foursquare users can go to the “explore” tab on their phones or the homepage map at Foursquare.com to find nearby deals. As Foursquare notes, “They’re the orange ones.”

    ScoutMob and Foursquare

    The 13 cities that Scoutmob currently has deals for are: Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Austin, Dalls, Chicago, Nashville, Atlanta, Boston, New York and Washington D.C.

    Scoutmob deals

    San Diego, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Houston, Charlotte and Miami are coming soon.

  • Black Friday Deals At Apple Stores: Macs, iPads, iPods, and Accessories

    Yesterday, announcements for a Black Friday sale began popping up on Apple’s sites in the U.S., UK, Australia and many more locations. It was pretty non-specific, simply saying that a one-day event was to take place on November 25th, and that it would include deals on Macs, iPods and iPads.

    According to some leaked details obtained by 9to5Mac, this year’s Black Friday sale at Apple Stores will resemble Black Friday sales of the past. The Mac line, including the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro and the iMac will receive the most significant discounts.

    Here are some of the top discounts on devices:

    • MacBook Air: $101 off, starting at $898
    • MacBoook Pro: $101 off, starting at $1098
    • iMac: $101 off, starting at $1098
    • iPad 2: $41 to $61 off (depending on capacity), the 16GB starting at $458
    • iPod Nano: $11 off, starting at $118
    • iPod Touch: $21 to $41 off (depending on capacity), starting at $178

    So the more GB you buy, the bigger the discount for the iPad 2 and the iPod Touch.

    The Black Friday sale will also discount accessories including a Phillips Dual Dock Clock Radio for $98 ($52 off), a Michael Kors Clutch for you iPhone for $58 ($22 off), and $11 off an Apple Wireless Keyboard.

    According to the leaks, iTunes gift cards will also receive a discount: $45 for a $50 card.

    Like events of the past, these discounts are far from monumental. But hey, it is Apple we’re talking about here. Still, if you were planning on getting your loved one an iMac for the holidays, it doesn’t hurt to get 100 bucks off.

    According to emails sent out by Apple on Tuesday, the sale will occur both online and in retail stores.

  • Google Offers Gets New Cities

    Google Offers Gets New Cities

    Google announced today that it has added six more cities to its Google Offers offering. New markets include: Detroit, Indianapolis, Ft. Worth, Long Beach, Sacramento, and St. Louis.

    On the Google Commerce Blog, the company details the introductory deals for these cities. In Detroit, it’s it’s $6 for one ticket to North American International Auto Show in January.

    Detroit Auto Show

    In Indianapolis, it’s $4 for $9 of Cajun cuisine at Papa Roux.

    In Ft. Worth, it’s $5 for one adult ticket to ‘Caravaggio and His Followers in Rome’ at the Kimbell Art Museum.

    Google Offer

    In Long Beach, it’s $2 for $12 of comfort food & drinks at At Last Cafe.

    In Sacramento, it’s $5 for $15 of burgers, sandwiches, salads and more at Hamburger Patties.

    Finally, in St. Louis, it’s $12 for $25 of Italian fare and drinks at Zia’s “On the Hill”.

    Google Offers currently has about 35 markets on its roster. Coming soon are Charlotte, Columbus, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Omaha, San Antonio, and Tampa.

  • Black Friday Deals Come To Apple Online Store

    UPDATE: Leaked flyers show what the actual discounts will look like.

    Apple has officially jumped into the pool of companies that will offers deals this Friday, November 25th – or as shoppers and retailers lovingly call it, Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving is always the biggest shopping day of the year, and now one of the biggest players in the holiday shopping season has joined the fun.

    A banner adorning the Online Apple Stores for the U.S., the UK, Australia and more promotes a “special one-day Apple shopping event.” The announcement specifically says “come back to the online store” for the deals, and makes no mention of Apple retail stores – so it looks like this Black Friday sale might be online only. An announcement email has clarified that the sale will also be taking place in the Apple retail stores.

    Apparently, the deals will come in the form of discounted iPads, iPods, and Macs.

    As MacRumors points out, when Apple holds a sale, it’s usually not as impressive as many other retailers. Last year, Macs were taken down about 100 bucks and iPods and iPads saw small markdowns of anywhere from $10 to $40.

    But that doesn’t stop Apple from touting the benefits of purchasing your holiday gifts through the Apple Online Store. Some of those bonuses include free engraving, gift wrapping, and free shipping on items over $50.

    Plus, while you wait on the Black Friday sale to commence, Apple offers a holiday gift guide that suggests gifts based on the type of person you’re shopping for.

    Recent reports have suggested that this could be the season of the tablet, with iPads leading the way. The Apple tablet is the most wanted device for kids aged 6-12 this holiday season.

  • Black Friday Deals: Some You May Not Want To Miss

    Black Friday Deals: Some You May Not Want To Miss

    It’s that time of year when everybody’s looking for awesome deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I can’t even begin to imagine how many are out there, but I can pass along some of the things I’ve come across today.

    First, this isn’t exactly a Black Friday deal, but Google did announce a price drop for some Chromebooks. Beginning this week Acer and Samsung Chromebooks will be available starting at $299.

    Amazon announced that it is adding some more deals to its Black Friday Deals Store. Examples include:

    Samsung 46-Inch 1080p LED HDTV: $799.99 (save $500)
    Nikon Coolpix P7000 Digital Camera: $249 (save $250)
    Canon PowerShot SX230HS Digital Camera: $199 (save $150)
    All phones from AT&T, Sprint and Verizon on sale for a penny at AmazonWireless (new activations only, two-year contract required)
    PlayStation 3 160GB Bundle w/ two free games (Rachet & Clank: All 4 One and LittleBigPlanet 2):$199 (save $150)
    Toshiba Satellite 14” laptop: $599.99 (save $150)
    TomTom XXL 5-Inch GPS: $99.99 (save $99)
    Samsung BD-D5700 Blu-ray Disc Player: $99.99 (save $80)
    AK Anne Klein Swarovski Crystal Accented Rose Gold-Tone Leather Watch: $29.99 (save $95)
    Save up to 60% off outerwear for Women, Men, Kids and Baby
    White Gold Princess Cut Diamond Earrings: $299.99 (save $399)
    Save up to $170 on Dyson vacuums
    Bodum Bistro Electric French Press Coffee Maker and Tea Dripper, Red: $49.99 (save $43)
    Wusthof Le Cordon Bleu 8-Inch Cook’s Knife: $89.99 (save $60)
    Save 40% off select boots and slippers
    “Bridesmaids” (DVD): $5.99 (save $23)
    “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy (Blu-ray): $49.99 (save $69.99)
    Schwinn Jasmine Girls’ Bike, Light Blue: $69.99 (save $70)
    Save up to 40% on select Angry Birds plush toys
    Save up to 50% on select LeapFrog electronic toys
    Popular album titles including “Watch the Throne” by Kanye West and Jay-Z, “Torches” by Foster the People and “Hands All Over” by Maroon 5 (MP3 Downloads): $4.99

    GameFront put together what it calls “Your Ultimate Black Friday Video Games Deals List”. For consoles, they list:

    PlayStation 3
    160gb Holiday bundle with LittleBigPlanet 2 and Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One — $199 at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Radio Shack, Target, Meijer, Toys R Us and Sears

    Xbox 360
    4GB console with Gears of War 3 and 3 months of Live an a $50 gift card — $199 at Wal-Mart (online)
    4gb Kinect bundle — $199 at Wal-Mart ($50 gift card), Radio Shack and Toys R Us
    4gb Kinect bundle — $209 at Sears
    250gb Holiday Bundle with Fable III and Halo: Reach and 3 months of Live — $199 at Best Buy and Sam’s
    4gb console — $139 at Target
    4gb console — $149 at GameStop
    4gb console with Modern Warfare 3 — $199 at KMart
    Kinect with Kinect Adventures and The Gunstringer and Wipeout 2 — $99 at Toys R Us
    Kinect with Kinect Adventures — $99 at Best Buy and Wal-Mart

    Wii
    Wii console — $99 at Wal-Mart, Sam’s and Meijer

    3DS
    3DS with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time — $179 at Best Buy, $199 at GameStop
    3DS with Super Mario 3D Land — $179 at Best Buy and Target
    3DS with Super Mario 3D Land — $199 at KMart and Sears

    PSP
    PSP-3000 core — $99 at Wal-Mart, KMart and Meijer
    PSP-3000 core with Ape Escape or WipeOut Pure — $99 at Toys R Us

    They also have a big list of games.

    This guy runs down some Best Buy deals:

    The top 10 hottest deals, according to FatWallet.com, are:

    Norton Internet Security 2012 (1-PC) [Boxed CD] – Staples – Free
    Toshiba Satelite C655D-S5332 15.6″ Laptop – Radio Shack – $299.99
    Xbox 360 4GB Console w/Kinect – Walmart – $199.96
    Acer 23″ Widescreen LCD Monitor – Staples – $99.99
    BlackBerry PlayBook 7″ Tablet – 16GB, WiFi – Staples – $199.99
    Acer Iconia Tab Tablet – Staples – $299.00
    HP Pavilion g4-1204nr 14″ Laptop – Radio Shack – $399.99
    Velocity micro Cruz T301 7″ 2GB Tablet – Radio Shack – $99.99
    Kindle Fire Tablet (Plus $20 Staples Gift Card After Rebate) – Staples – $199.00
    Toshiba Satellite L755-S5360 15.6″ Laptop – Intel Core i5-2430M Processor, 6GB RAM, 750GB HDD – Staples – $549.99

    LivingSocial announced its Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. More on that here.

    What are some of the best deals you’ve seen? Let us know in the comments.

  • Groupon Types, Places Add Some Personalization

    Groupon has launched a new type of personalized deal with its Deal Types and Places offering.

    “Groupon is constantly looking for new ways to bring its subscribers the best, most relevant deals in the places they like to spend time,” a spokesperson for the company tells WebProNews.

    “This new customization makes it easier than ever to discover the best deals (Types) in the spots subscribers want them (Places), every day of the week,” she adds.

    “[It’s] a win-win for merchants and consumers – business owners reach most relevant and interested customers while shoppers get an even more personally-curated deal experience every day,” she says.

    Groupon personalized

    Types and Places are accessible from the user’s Groupon profile, as opposed to specific landing pages. There are over 25 different types of “Types”. This includes:

    • Fresh Air – outdoor experiences
    • Good for 2 – something for two people
    • Will Call – ticketed event
    • White Tablecloth – fine dining
    • Pampered – spa/beauty
    • Etc.

    Every Groupon deal is labeled with one or more type (below the feature image on the deal page). Users tag deal types they’re interested in by clicking the heart icon next to the type. Users can add and remove types as they wish. As a user adds types, their “All Deals” page and daily emails are refreshed with matching deals.

    Places are simply locations the user saves. You can add custom places to your profile to keep a list of the most relevant neighborhoods to your life. Deals are personalized to users’ pre-selected places. Daily emails and the “All Deals” page automatically feature deals in the user’s set Places when they’re available. Deals are labeled with proximity to users’ places.

    The product is available in over 150 North American markets so far.

  • Microsoft, Yahoo & AOL Formally Announce Their Ad Partnership

    Back in September, Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL held a meeting to discuss a potential advertising partnership, which would see the companies banding together to compete with Google. It appears that we’re about to see the fruits of that partnership.

    Today, the three Internet giants announced a partnership officially, which it says will benefit advertisers, agencies, and publishers by providing “more efficient access to premium online ad inventory.”

    The agreements among the companies will enable ad networks operated by each to offer one another’s premium non-reserved online display inventory to their respective ad customers.

    The companies say that while advertisers can continue to partner across the Yahoo Network Plus, AOL’s Advertising.com and the Microsoft Media Network, each is differentiated by its capabilities around data, optimization, packaging and inventory. The partnership, they say, will enhance demand for and value of each party’s display ad offerings and provide better yield for publishers and advertisers.

    “We’re thrilled to partner with Microsoft and AOL and bring to market what we believe will be a more efficient, effective and more effortless way to access true premium inventory and formats,” said Ross Levinsohn, Yahoo EVP of the Americas. “There has a been a significant shift in how inventory is bought and sold, and we’re now 100% focused on controlling our own destiny, working directly with marketers and agencies and driving better returns for our advertising partners. “

    “Enhancing choice and scale in today’s display advertising market is a rising tide that lifts all boats,” said Rik van der Kooi, Corporate Vice President of the Microsoft Advertising Business Group. “This partnership will create an opportunity where advertisers and publishers alike can benefit from easier access to – and demand for — high quality inventory. The fact that we’re joining together to offer this kind of access to quality – yet each with our own differentiated ad offerings — is something that will benefit the market as a whole.”

    “We are excited to be part of this partnership,” said AOL Chief Revenue Officer Ned Brody. “Today’s announcement sets in motion the opportunity for advertisers to achieve scaled solutions across premium publishers. This should reduce friction in the marketplace which will benefit both advertisers and publishers. And this partnership will take our existing Advertising.com partnerships with both Microsoft and Yahoo! to a new level.”

    The companies will continue to compete for ad spend and publisher partners. Early 2012 is the target for integrating one another’s real-time bidding technologies for non-reserved inventory.