* The problem with Groupon is simple and profound: Thirty-two percent of merchants who used Groupon to offer deep discounts to stimulate their businesses report that they lost money on their deals, according to a survey released in the fall by Utpal M. Dholakia, a professor of marketing at Rice University in Texas. But, wait, it gets worse: Of the 150 merchants responding to the survey, 42% said they would not do another Groupon promotion. And that includes some of those who made money on their deals. Newsosaur, Alan Mutter, December 2010
* Clicks are great, calls are better, but a customer showing up at your door is best. The closer to the cash register, the better. Showing ROI and proving ROI to the customer is one of the most important priorities these days. BIA/Kelsey Interactive Local Media Conference, December 2010 (audio clip)
* The market has a fever. And the only cure is more cowbellat an 83% discount, in a store near you, for a limited time, via an online coupon. Groupons decision to spurn a $6 billion bid from Google (GOOG) has only encouraged investors scrambling to find ways to play the online local deals trend.Forbes, December 10, 2010
* 39% of 2010 holiday shoppers were willing to forgo their purchase altogether if they couldnt find any discounts or coupons, according to a report by Motorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions. In North America, that accounted for an average of $109 not being spent due to lack of attractive sales and deals on goods. Motorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions, January 2011
* Group buying will MOVE local advertising to a performance based model, because it is getting the interest of small businesses. BIA/Kelsey Interactive Local Media Conference, December 2010 (audio clip available)
* Consumers who are comfortable announcing where they are every five seconds through social networks such as Foursquare and Facebook will be similarly comfortable with opting into a service that provides them with offers and discounts from nearby providers. BIA/Kelsey Interactive Local Media Conference, December 2010 (audio
* Banks have experienced rapid growth in online traffic. Between 2000 and 2010, the number of households that use online banking increased more than six-fold.
* In 2010, 72.5 million households used online banking.
* In a survey of more than 2700 SMBs across the country, the American Press Institute found that 71% of respondents believe newspaper sales reps have the sophistication and smarts to help businesses market themselves effectively in the growing maze of online, mobile and social media.
* Merchants aren’t waiting around for publishers to introduce them to digital media. 81.8% of survey respondents have a website, 45.1% maintain a Facebook or MySpace page, 22.5% engage in online couponing, 13% use Craigslist and 10% use Yelp-like sites.
