Groupon sent emails to select customers on Wednesday promoting the new offering, which offered deals on pilates, coffee brewers and LED TVs. "(The offer is) already seeing good results," a source told Reuters. "Groupon Goods is the buzz around Groupon. It can add significant impact to Groupon's growth strategy." The company has posted an FAQ with more details about the program.
An overture toward online retailing would come as Amazon has entered the daily deals market both as a LivingSocial investor and through its AmazonLocal service. The entry, which comes as Groupon also introduced a rewards program on Wednesday, looks to go public amid a turbulent stock market and at a time when the daily deals segment seems to have cooled since a few months ago.