The Power of Social Buying

You’ve gotta love this idea!  Social buying websites negotiate deals with local companies in select cities and offer one deal a day to local customers. We love the discounts (and discovering our new favorite sushi place,) and the small businesses love the advertising, the orders and the chance to win our affection. It’s the new, chic way to advertise- and it is creating some amazing deals that support small businesses.

According to the biggest social buying website, Groupon, their demographic tends to women (77%) and young adults (68% are in the 18-34 age range), so they generally have deals that would appeal to those groups. Does that include you? If so, you may find deals that are designed with you in mind. 70% off spa services, 60% off dinner out, 75% off dancing classes? Count me in!

Groupon made it popular, but there’s plenty of other social buying sites.  These guys know their deals, which makes them A-OK in our book!  Check below to find our favorites- the ones we vigilantly stalk for that perfect 80% off a pedicure deal.

Groupon

What can we say about Groupon that you don’t already know?  Ummm… how about, I found my new favorite brunch spot from one of their deals?

From their website:
“Launched in November 2008, Groupon features a daily deal on the best stuff to do, see, eat, and buy in more than 500 markets and 44 countries, and soon beyond (read: Space). We have about 1,500 people working in our Chicago headquarters, a growing office in Palo Alto, CA, account executives based in local markets across North America and regional offices in Europe, Latin America, Asia and throughout the world.”

Living Social

Living Social is smaller and newer than Groupon but still has solid daily deals in most large U.S. cities. Living Social even has “Family Editions” for some major cities!  A subscription to Living Social’s “Los Angeles: Family Edition” emails may interest you more than Groupon’s regular ol’ LA deals.

From their website:
“LivingSocial offers daily deals on handpicked experiences that can be shared with friends. Our mission is to add surprise to every calendar. So we dig deep, pursuing both the things that define a place and the undiscovered jewels. We design total experiences that bring an adventurous, loyal new following to local businesses. Innovation and imagination have made LivingSocial the fastest-growing company in the social-buying category.”

Dealpulp

Unlike other social buying sites that focus on local businesses, Dealpulp is all about online deals, often from small businesses. So if you don’t live near a big city, this may be a great site for you!

From their website:
“Here at DealPulp, we’re committed to bringing you fresh deals daily. We offer one spectacular deal a day, and each and every one can be redeemed online and nationwide. Oh, and once you’ve purchased a deal, it’s yours no matter how many other people buy it. Forget local, forget tipping points. You like it, you buy it, it’s yours. Easy as that.”

Eversave

Eversave‘s got a great blend of local and national deals on their roster. Just for signing up, they’ll give you a $2 credit to put towards your first buy! That can take an already great deal and make it legendary!

From their website:
“We’ve been in the business of helping consumers save money for over ten years. In fact, Eversave has consistently been ranked one of the top savings websites in America, helping millions of people save money with printable grocery coupons, free samples and great offers from national brands like Macys, Overstock and Pampers. In 2010, we took our savings expertise to the local level by launching the Save. In addition to national deals, consumers can now count on us to find fantastic deals on businesses right in their own neighborhoods.”

Juice in the City

Juice in the City is made by moms for moms. They don’t have many cities currently covered (sorry Chicago!), but they’re growing by leaps and bounds!

From their website:
“Juice in the City aims to bring moms what they really want: insanely good deals on crazy-fun things to do. We are not simple people. We like to breastfeed in public and also go hip hop dancing in tight shirts. We like to do arts and crafts with our kids and also spice up our lives with “Jersey Shore” girls nights in spray tanning parties. Oh, and we love a good massage, wine tasting, meal out on the town, or wacky adventure with the family. We never, ever, turn down a good time. You shouldn’t have to either.”

Mamapedia SweetDeals

A social buying site designed just for moms, Mamapedia is growing in popularity and offers great deals on family-friendly activities! I love getting their daily emails to see what interesting deal they’ve cooked up.

From their website:
“Each day, Mamapedia will email you a Sweet Deal especially for busy moms and their families — for family-friendly restaurants, family entertainment, kids activities, fun places for a Mom’s Night Out, and much more. Offers are tailored to your geographical region, so you’ll benefit from great local deals that you can really use. Sweet Deals are a fun way to stay informed about the best places for you and your family to eat, see, do, and buy in your area! We started Sweet Deals so Moms could benefit from the group buying power of the large and growing Mamapedia community. With so many Moms who’ve joined Mamapedia, we’ve really got the attention of local businesses who care a lot about Moms as customers — and we are able to get some of the best deals for our Moms (in most cases 50% off or more).”

Tippr

Not just for restaurants, Tippr has great deals for everyone!

From their website:
“Tippr is the new wave in collective buying. Our Tippsters scout around town for the best deals for our members and serve them up to you daily. We have actually shopped at every merchant and bought every product featured on Tippr ourselves. Our Tippsters are so good at negotiating deals that we are the only deal web site able to provide a 100% price guarantee. You won’t find a better deal on the merchants and product featured here, we promise.”

DealOn

I love the simple style of the DealOn site: plenty of cities covered and great deals that last more than one day. They have a variety of themes, from spas to dance classes to workout sessions…. something for everyone!

From their website:
“Variety is the spice of life isn’t it? Trying new things is precisely what the DealOn team does for our members every single day. And we adore spending time with our friends and family enjoying ourselves around town. We have a need to see and experience all the things our city has to offer and that’s exactly the service we provide our members. From the beginning, DealOn has provided its members with access to unique offers from the most reputable local merchants and vendors. The DealOn staff works hard scouring each city for unique venues, offers and experiences. The offers you’ll find aren’t just deals with discounted prices. The offers we provide are quite literally limited engagements which come with special pricing and are only available in limited supplies. You won’t find these offers on any other daily deal site; these offers can only be accessed on DealOn.”

KGB Deals

With local and national deals, KGB Deals is a great source for bargains. Their deals last for a week, so there’s plenty of time to decide without all the pressure!

From their website:
“kgbdeals is brought to you by the people who brought you a smarter way to get answers, phone numbers, and more—kgb. We’ve created a new way to enjoy shopping and take advantage of imaginative offers saving you 50-90% on all the things you love to do, eat, wear and enjoy in your city.”

BuyWithMe

Featuring hotels, vacations, facials, food, yoga, show tickets and more, BuyWithMe is a social buying site with diversity! Whether you jump on the bargain or not, it’s a great place to learn about different activities in your own city!

From their website:
“BuyWithMe is one of the country’s leading group buying and social commerce companies. What sets us apart? Well, for starters, our passion! For our members, for our partners, for our community, and for creating great deals that put them all together. By partnering with the best local and national businesses, we’re able to craft win-win deals that bring customers through their doors while delivering exclusive offers to consumers. And we know our members have enough snap decisions to make each day, so all of our deals are live for seven days. No impulse buying here! Simply great deals to great spots at great prices.”

Have any other social buying sites you would like to see here? Just send us a suggestion!