The concept behind the coupon dishing websites Living Social and Groupon is brilliant! It's truly brilliant. But is it too complicated for the majority of Americans? Is my 57 year old mother going to hop on, sign-up, sift through email, and navigate to get coupons? Or is she going to stick to old habits like scissors and the local Sunday paper?
You might very well criticize my mother and tell her to adapt and advance her skill set. Problem is, she won't. Neither will most Americans in the 40+ age range.
I have an idea, why don't we make super simple advertising directories for different industries. You want a discount on cheap carpet cleaning services? Go to cheapcarpetscleaning.com and find your city. The list populates. Chose what discount you want, if you're so price driven you want to use a coupon in the first place. **Don't go that site by the way, I just made it up to prove a point.
If you're interested, I just tweeted this article about Living Social getting ready to compete with Groupon.
Are internet coupon sites the way ahead? Why not online directory advertising? Some food for thought....
NG
http://mashable.com/2011/01/28/livingsocial-amazon/
A great idea to get older generations comfortable with technology. Make it simple, and quick!
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