Groupon Shifts Consumer Strategy With Omnichannel Update

By Pete Rizzo (@pete_rizzo_)

Chicago-based daily deals giant Groupon launched a redesigned website on November 1 in a move that coincided with the company’s fifth anniversary as a player in the payments space.

The website included new features as well as upgrades to existing functions that aim to help Groupon position itself as an eCommerce and mCommerce engine on the level with the market’s established names.

“Our new site and mobile app makes it easier and more rewarding for customers to check Groupon first when they want to buy just about anything, anytime, anywhere,” Groupon CEO Eric Lefkofsky said in a November 1 statement on the company’s official blog.

Groupon’s new site includes specific features geared to desktop, tablet and mobile phone shoppers. For example, iPad users can now “favorite” deals for future buying. The iPad website further launched in 12 additional markets, including Mexico, Russia and Thailand.

The feature is emblematic of what has been described as Groupon’s new “pull” strategy that attempts to entice consumers to browse deals. Groupon had earlier relied on email as its primary driver of consumer interest, and the new website represents another shift away from daily deals that could help it maintain its supremacy over other brand-name competitors.

To learn more about Groupon’s changes, take our guided tour of its updated website below.