Earlier this summer, select Yelp users in the Sacramento area noticed Groupon-like deals appearing in the right-hand side of the home page. At the time, Yelp confirmed that a Daily Deals product was in the works. Today the company is revealing more about the initiative and promises to begin testing the program in New York and San Francisco soon.
"We have been working with some of the best local businesses -- as identified by the Yelp community -- to highlight some great deals for our users," said Director of Local Business Marketing Dylan Swift.
The San Diego deal in question offers Yelp members five yoga classes at The Little Yoga Studio for $30, an offering that normally sells for $65. Yelp members can purchase the deal for a limited time period, as well as share it on Facebook or Twitter. Unlike Groupon, Yelp does not require a minimum threshold of users to purchase the deal before it is unlocked for everyone.
Yelp may be entering Groupon's territory, but group buying makes sense when coupled with Yelp's core purpose. What's smart about about Yelp's implementation is how well-tied each deal is to the retailer's Yelp listing, so Yelp users can find immediate context for the deal they're considering by scrolling down and checking out the reviews and ratings of other patrons; in this case, the listed reviews for The Little Yoga Studio are stellar.
