Google Offers is not only enlarging its geographic footprint, but it is scaling up by establishing ties with an array of others deals' providers.
Google Offers is becoming a deals aggregator and expanding its roster of vacations, tours and activities by striking partnerships with Zozi andRearden Commerce, among others.
Do you want a five-night vacation in Mexico? Google offers was touting such a stay to Oakland, Calif., email subscribers via a flash sales deal sourced from Rearden Commerce's HomeRun platform.
In San Francisco, Google Offers featured a 50% off deal on a $200 bartending class provided by tours and activities platform Zozi.
The sourcing from HomeRun.com and Zozi are part of a slew of partnerships Google announced today as it scales up its flash-sales deals business. Other new partners include Dealfind, DoodleDeals, Gilt City, GolfNow, Juice in the City, kgbdeals, Mamapedia, Plum District, PopSugar Shop, ReachDeals, Active.com, Schwaggle and TIPPR.
Google Offers is now available in 17 US cities -- with more on the way -- as it seeks to compete with Groupon and others.
The plan is to customize the offers as much as possible as Google Offers says it is introducing a personalization quiz for subscribers.
Google's blog post says:
You can tell us what categories you’re interested in and where you hang out so we can send you just the tailored offers that match your interests—all in one email. If you’re not the outdoorsy type or interested in cosmetic treatments, then we won’t send you deals for zipline adventures and laser hair removal. Don’t worry, if your interests change you can always update your preferences.
To be sure, despite its new deals aggregation initiative, Google Offers is still sending out its own salespeople and notching many of these agreements with local merchants on its own.
For example, Google Offers itself is the provider of this $30 deal to purchase a $300 credit toward a vacation from JetBlue Getaways.
So, who handles the customer service issues for Google Offers when they are sourced by Google or third-party vendors?
The only phone numbers listed on Google Offers are those of the merchants themselves.
Google Offers does have a Business Help section. Vendors can fill out forms and exchange emails with support.
In discussing its new partnership with Google Offers, Rearden Commerce's Deem Blog acknowledges "doubts about the industry's vitality," but argues that the "opportunities persist" to turn around the deals space by providing merchant value and relevance.
The Deem blog post, authored by Brad Brodigan, president of merchant offers at Rearden, states:
Taking advantage of situational changes and perishable inventory creates huge opportunities for merchant success while providing real benefit to the consumer. For example, if a consumer’s flight is delayed past the time that public transit runs, offering a car service could produce a win for the service and ensure that the consumer gets home quickly, conveniently, and safely – merchant value, and relevance.