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Just curious, was this a talent acquisition? It's hard to tell with such few details right now. Only asking because they're both Chicago-based and aren't really

by orky56 15y ago

Just curious, was this a talent acquisition? It's hard to tell with such few details right now. Only asking because they're both Chicago-based and aren't really in the exact same space.

ktsmith 15y ago
Groupon has a relationship with a massive number of merchants so being able to offer additional merchant services such as finding a better merchant account or reducing processing fees could be a good fit.
- jusben1369 15y ago
  Yes I think ktsmith has hit the nail on the head on synergies.
- fruchtose 15y ago
  In my mind, this acqusition is about making good on the IPO. A lot of people, including me, are skeptical about how Groupon can differentiate itself from the competition. It looks like Groupon is trying to address that with this acquisition... it's trying to position itself as the easiest deal service to work with--an interesting strategy, considering that many businesses don't come back to Groupon after the first deal.
  - praxeologist 15y ago
    Off topic I guess but what is typical for repeat customer %? I realize it could vary considerably by what we're talking about, but it is something I have been wondering.
tptacek 15y ago
Most of the FeeFighters are coming along with the acquisition and we are not planning any major changes to our product line. The FeeFighters marketplace, our Samurai gateway and the FeeFighters and Samurai brands are continuing as before. At this point I think you could literally put "this is not a talent acquisition" in your announcement and still see people say stuff like this.
- glesica 15y ago
  Well obviously. Since when are press releases a reliable source of information? Especially given the number of companies that say "our product is not going to change" only to have the product change six months later.
- maaku 15y ago
  "we are not planning any major changes to our product line... our brands are continuing as before" can also be interpreted as stagnation, aka “don't expect anything new because our best devs will be working on Groupon's stuff”. I think it was a fair question.

by orky56 15y ago

Just curious, was this a talent acquisition? It's hard to tell with such few details right now. Only asking because they're both Chicago-based and aren't really in the exact same space.

ktsmith 15y ago

Groupon has a relationship with a massive number of merchants so being able to offer additional merchant services such as finding a better merchant account or reducing processing fees could be a good fit.

jusben1369 15y ago
Yes I think ktsmith has hit the nail on the head on synergies.
fruchtose 15y ago
In my mind, this acqusition is about making good on the IPO. A lot of people, including me, are skeptical about how Groupon can differentiate itself from the competition. It looks like Groupon is trying to address that with this acquisition... it's trying to position itself as the easiest deal service to work with--an interesting strategy, considering that many businesses don't come back to Groupon after the first deal.
- praxeologist 15y ago
  Off topic I guess but what is typical for repeat customer %? I realize it could vary considerably by what we're talking about, but it is something I have been wondering.

tptacek 15y ago

Most of the FeeFighters are coming along with the acquisition and we are not planning any major changes to our product line. The FeeFighters marketplace, our Samurai gateway and the FeeFighters and Samurai brands are continuing as before. At this point I think you could literally put "this is not a talent acquisition" in your announcement and still see people say stuff like this.

glesica 15y ago
Well obviously. Since when are press releases a reliable source of information? Especially given the number of companies that say "our product is not going to change" only to have the product change six months later.
maaku 15y ago
"we are not planning any major changes to our product line... our brands are continuing as before" can also be interpreted as stagnation, aka “don't expect anything new because our best devs will be working on Groupon's stuff”. I think it was a fair question.