I have lost count of how many digital discount businesses there are in Singapore. Certainly many of them have discovered my email address, but I occasionally read of others. My guess is that in this country of 5 million, there must be at least 10.
Conceptually, Singapore is a great place for such businesses. Singaporeans love a bargain. I regularly have seen long queues of people chasing a deal or a discount, 'Groupon' is so much easier. However, are there room for so many? I think not.
In my inbox today, are yet more discounts for second (third) rate restaurants and cheap hotels in Malaysia. YAWN!! However, we shouldn't be surprised. With so many sites chasing 'content' it is unlikely that good products or services will find value in promoting themselves through this medium. An alternative is found at www.sold.sg However, how many people can afford the time to spend on this site? An interesting, but flawed business model in my opinion.
It strikes me that the promise of personalisation in marketing and advertising that so excited me in the late 90's remains to be exploited. Groupon style sites seem to have no targeting or personalisation whatsoever. I think that their legacy will be that other sites will copy the concept in a more targeted way. If magazines such as 'Finder' or 'Expat Living' had a more developed digital strategy, they could exploit the concept more efficiently than Groupon. The same goes for almost any focused content generator.
One day, I'll receive a personalised email/SMS or other message inviting me to try something in which I have genuine interest at a price which is genuinely attractive in a format which is genuinely polite. Groupon and its clones, simply dont do it!
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