Groupon deals being opened up to b2b publishers

Groupon, the daily deal site that has been taken up as a loss-leader subscription device by some Canadian consumer magazines, is now offering to make the same deal-making available to business-to-business magazines. According to a story from Folio:  any business can apply to offer a one-day deal -- typically 50% off the price of a sub, with 50% of the revenue kept by Groupon.

The entrance of the daily deal Goliaths into b2b is of some consequence to traditional b2b publishers. The daily deal model has proven enormously effective in unlocking previously inaccessible local merchant marketing budgets because they deliver paying customers. It is a kind of customer acquisition, lead-gen program that appeals to the sensibilities of b2b marketers.

Where, before, Groupon was mostly used by retailers, restaurants and services that could afford deep discounts to build business, the scale and nature of the deals is rapidly changing. As the story reported, a consulting firm recently offered $25,000 of IT consulting for $12,500. 

According to a report at Mediapost, Groupon's offer was so successful that it is opening its self-service arm, Groupon Stores, to business services.