The product will be powered by DealOn, a Groupon competitor offering deals in cities across the United States. Zagat Exclusives will cater to foodies and restaurateurs with deals at restaurants ranging in style from casual to special occasion.
The program will offer a slight twist to the current group buying trend and offer limited quantities on the exclusives for a fixed sale period. The price point will decrease as more people purchase the deal during the allotted window. The lowest price at the end of the sale is the price each buyer will pay.
Zagat now joins the likes of Yelp and OpenTable in tacking group buying on to its core product offerings. For Zagat, the "Exclusives" product seems to align perfectly with its brand, which is becoming increasingly more social and web-friendly in nature (it's currently the most followed brand on Foursquare), and gives the company its own platform for capitalizing on an ever-growing trend. The foodie consumer now has a myriad of choices for pre-buying discount meals on the web, but the allure of saving at a Zagat-Rated restaurant is an offer that is sure to stand out.
Zagat Exclusives will launch in September in New York, but interested parties in 11 different cities can sign-up for e-mail notifications.