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Mashable broke the story that Google will be launching Google Offers. Google confirmed it later by saying:
Google is communicating with small businesses to enlist their support and participation in a test of a pre-paid offers/vouchers program. This initiative is part of an ongoing effort at Google to make new products, such as the recent Offer Ads beta, that connect businesses with customers in new ways. We do not have more details to share at this time, but will keep you posted.
Google Offers will be a Groupon. Groupon recently rejected an offer from Google to buy them, so I guess that did not stop Google from entering the space.
Here is the Google Offers Fact Sheet:
The big question is how soon?
Forum discussion at Google Blogoscoped Forums.
Comments:
Getyoid
01/21/2011 03:18 pm
Groupon rejected the offer and will not feel the wrath. Is there no stopping Google from usurping every space? Be careful folks, you were worried about Microsoft and Apple and before that IBM... heh - Google is already 10x worse then all of them combined.
Jim
01/24/2011 02:35 pm
This is another wanna be Google product that will fail miserably ...
ashcraft2585
07/19/2011 12:33 am
I doubt that, Jim. This isn't just another beta that couldn't take off. Google Offers can easily integrate with Search, Maps and Places, and undermining these factors is a big mistake. Seeing how Google business page is successful, there's no doubting that Offers too can do the same.