[Drew.Carson]

Bargain-hunting Villagers will be introduced to new merchants when VillagesDealFinder.com (http://VillagesDealFinder.com), a new deal of the day web site, launches in The Villages April 16th. The introductory deal will be 50-90% off local restaurants and merchants.

“The deals we offer will be a great way for Villagers to shop at their favorite merchants at up to 90% off,” says Drew Carson with VillagesDealFinder.com. “In turn, merchants gain access to new clients and can measure the ROI on their promotion. Everyone wins.”

Offering deep discounts of 50 to 90 percent off standard charges, VillagesDealFinder.com features deals from restaurants, spas, theaters, museums, local events and festivals, bars, home and automotive services, and various outdoor recreational activities such as biking, kayaking, or jet skiing. The company leverages the power of social networking through tools like Twitter and Facebook to encourage viral pass-along of the daily deals.

“We are proud to be the first daily deal site in The Villages,” says Carson. “As well we are home grown and based out of The Villages!” Even Groupon, the largest group buying website in the country has yet to launch in The Villages.

As for the benefit to merchants, VillagesDealFinder.com offers the opportunity for them to be featured and presented to thousands of targeted potential customers for a 24-hour period with no upfront cost or risk involved; a highly efficient and cost effective form of advertising. This pay-for-performance model works well for small businesses that often can’t afford outside marketing assistance. Complete with an easily accessible dashboard, the site allows merchants to calculate traffic and profitability on a real time basis, taking the guesswork out of their marketing investment.

[Drew.Carson]

Anyone have an business suggestions you'd like to see at 50% off!?

[CarGuys]

Im to new to TV but what a great idea to get us to visit new places

H

[Gerald]

when the deal is to good to believe. It normally is not really a deal. Buyer beware!

[BmoreGal]

I think it's a great idea!

I use Groupon, and Living Social in Baltimore. I have found some really good deals, and have found some of my "new favorite" merchants.

The only "buyer beware" that I have seen is the tendency to spend more money on segments of "deals" that I would not normally use, (ie - spa treatments, restaurants etc)... It is similar to using store coupons to purchase things out of your normal buying pattern.

Great addition to TV....Hope it turns out to be a win-win for both merchants and residents.

[Drew.Carson]

Thanks for the opinions guys!
We love hearing what you have to say so we can serve you better!
As well Gerald, we offer merchants a guarenteed amount of customers before the deal "tips" and people can redeem their certificates, so merchants love to offer us a bulk discount and give us the best deal possible!

New news is coming soon!

Villages Deal Finder

[zcaveman]

I am willing to give it a try. Can't hurt to look and I might save some money.

Z

[hawkeye66]

I looked at this site 3 months ago, it's not new.
I agree with buyer beware...and businesses beware. Groupon has done more damage than good to many small businesses.
Also, they say started locally...but i think they're company is out of Texas.

[Drew.Carson]

Originally Posted by hawkeye66

I looked at this site 3 months ago, it's not new.
I agree with buyer beware...and businesses beware. Groupon has done more damage than good to many small businesses.
Also, they say started locally...but i think they're company is out of Texas.

Our hosting is done out of Texas (JustHost), so if you did reverse IP you may have seen a texas address. As well, we are absolutely locals and live in Village of Buttonwood.
We are a new site and were not around three months ago, you may have looked at another site.
I agree with you that Groupon does damage small business! They charge 50% of total revenues received where ours are much much lower.

[gvsulakerfan]

I wish your site luck. I use groupon all the time, but here is the problem with these types of sites and the reason that many Villages businesses have been hesitant to offer on Groupon (from time to time Groupon lists businesses in TV on the Ocala page):

Lets say the deal is $10 for $20 at Applebees. With Groupon it is a 50/50 split on revenue, so Applebees is only getting $5 while the buyer is getting a coupon for $20. Now, Applebees is hoping to make their money back on people going in and buying well over $20 worth of stuff, or not using the coupon at all. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't.

Also, for many of the goods/services that are listed the retail value price is usually really inflated and therefore the "deal" isn't really 50-90% off.

Will you be offering any type of referral cash? I've made well over $200 in groupon bucks from posting my purchases on my fb page, so that is an incentive for buyers...

[Drew.Carson]

Yes, our referral program is at Referal program . We offer $5 per purchase per friend.
As well, we have a business referral program. If you refer a business our way you will get as much as 7% total revenue created for the deal. Email us at contact@villagesdealfinder.com or pm for more info!

[Drew.Carson]

Just to let everyone know we launched our first deal! 60% off business cards from TruMarketing.ca!!!