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Smart Mommy Tip: Make the most of collective buying websites such as groupon.com

Submitted by guruzen on Thursday, 23 September 2010No Comment

Group Buying Website

Group buying discount websites have become very popular these days and are a relatively new extension to online buying. This clever and genuine marketing concept is based on the power of collective buying and can really help a business owner generate excellent sales and if used intelligently can really help you grab a great deal. Using the principles of Viral Marketing these websites heavily rely on promoting these deals and their wesbite via social media sites such as facebook and twitter and by emails.

So how do these Group Buying websites really work?

Basically, a company puts up an offer in the form of a “limited time deal” offering usually a discount above 50% . The deal is conditional to a certain Â minimum number of people signing up for it in a given time frame. If the required number of people buy then the offer is valid and everyone benefits from it and if not then the deal is considered void and nobody is charged.

For all the Smart mommies looking for great online deals these websites could really bring a discount shopping coupon of a regional store or a bargain right to your laptop. The easiest way to take advantage of these promotions is to sign up for their newsletter. That way you can scan the email to see if there are any offers that interest you.

Most deals offer discounts over 50% so its very easy to get tempted into buying something that you cant afford or dont really need. Use caution when using these sites and remember that its only a good bargain if you happen to see a coupon on something you actually need or for that occasional indulgence. Some of the things to look out for before buying:

Make sure you really want the product or service offered and that you can afford it.
Be sure to use it fast as most vouchers have an expiration date usually from as low as 1 month to 6 months.
Find reviews and recommendations : Remember the bargain is only as good as the product or service offered in the Deal. So dont be tempted just by the huge discount percentage offered. Take sometime to research the product or service by checking its reviews online or from family and friends.
Read the Fine Print: Read the terms and conditions of the deal before buying. Sometimes these mention restrictions on the offer like only non peak hour offers in restaurant or specific timings of the exercise classes on offer that might make it unappealing for you.

So Smart Mummies, keep a look out for offers and promotions on children items such as clothes and toys or pamper yourself with a great spa experience or mani-pedi voucher!

Below is an example of a recent great kids deal which was on a popular group buying site www.eversave.com. Sophie the giraffe, which is also mentioned in our featured moms and products section retails for around $17-20. Through this deal it was available for $8 shipped! This is how it worked:

The deal was for a $26.00 Gift Certificate of www.greenobambino.com for $13 only on www.eversave.com. Greeno Bambino sells non-toxic, eco-friendly products for kids and babies including the popular Sophie the Giraffe which they had listed for $20 plus $ 5 shipping on their website. Also eversave gave you a $5 free credit on signing up with them making the cost of the Gift certificate $13 less $5 = $8. You could then use your $26 worth certificate on greeno bambino’s site to buy Sophie or any other product that you wished for only $8.