After Google failed to buy the popular discount website Groupon.com at the end
of last year, the company is currently creating a similar website called Google Offers.
Groupon is a website where people sign up to receive deals tailored to their area.
They currently have over 50 million subscribers, according to their website.
In 2010, Google offered to buy the company for $6 billion to further their Internet
monopoly, but the owners of Groupon rejected the deal.
In an interview with MediaBistro.com, Marissa Mayer, a Google executive,
said, “When you look at the overall suite of our services, especially around our
advertising, we already have some things that are like Groupon…so we’re looking at how
we can take that technology and put it to use especially in the location space.”
Google Offers has yet to officially launch, but according to The Washington
Post, they’re in talks with small businesses to test out the “pre-paid offers and vouchers
program.”
There are numerous websites that offer these types of deals but Groupon is the
most popular. The creation of Google Offers will certainly be a threat to the success of
Groupon.
But how useful is either of these to college students? Natasha Westheimer, a
sophomore Jewish studies major, doesn’t think Groupon or Google Offers are that
beneficial to college students.
“Both seem to target an older audience who can plan for the future by spending
money on a coupon they could use at a later date,” said Westheimer.