Watch Out Groupon: Google Offers Goes Live in Portland, OR
Google’s Groupon clone, Google Offers, just launched its first deal. Offers users in Portland, OR can now buy $10 worth of coffee and pastries at a local coffee shop for $3. While the deal was scheduled to run until the end of the day, it looks like the 2,000 available coupons will run out within the first hour or two. For now, Portland is the only market where Offers is live, but Google is also taking pre-registrations from users in New York and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Whereas Groupon’s secret is the quirky writing that makes its email pitches stand out, Google takes a more straightforward approach. The email pitch for today’s offer is about as basic as it gets:
“Fact: North Americans consume as much coffee per capita as they do milk. Enjoy your java and drink it, too, when you indulge in today’s offer: $3 for $10 worth of beverages, pastries and treats at Floyd’s Coffee Shop.”
It’s obviously to early to gauge how successful Google Offers will be, but the initial reaction in Portland (buoyed, of course, by the large discount) has been very positive so far.
For those outside of Portland, here is what the site looks like:
