Amazon launches UK daily deals
Amazon has expanded its daily deals service from the US to London as it bids to take on established players such as Groupon and LivingSocial in the region.
AmazonLocal, works in a similar way to other daily deals sites by sending localised offers to subscribers’ inboxes each day. Amazon customers can use their already-registered card details to pay to shop on AmazonLocal.
Users can also personalise the deals they are targeted with by using a deal preferences section, which allows them to rate how much they would prefer to be offered entertainment and travel, health and beauty, shopping and services or restaurants pubs and bars promotions.
It is not yet known when AmazonLocal will be extended to cities beyond London in the UK, although the company says it is “working quickly” to bring great local businesses to its customers all over the country.
Amazon is encouraging businesses to partner with the service by claiming that they can market their companies “front and centre with the Amazon brand – the most recognised digital brand in the UK”. It also claims Amazon customers are “frequently engaged in social media”, meaning they are more likely to tell others about merchants’ businesses.
Businesses do not have to pay to run a promotion with AmazonLocal, instead they only pay a marketing fee for the customers they acquire.
The daily deals sector has become an increasingly crowded market in recent months, with well-known brands such as Nectar and Trinity Mirror launching their own services alongside standalone deals sites such as Groupon, LivingSocial and KGB Deals.