At Where 2.0 this year, we previewed a product concept that we obscurely labeled a “variable value deal”. The concept was – and is – powerful.
We created an evolved Deal model, in which you set different values within one deal based on the preferred demand patterns of an individual business. Our imaginations soared. You could make it a sophisticated match between the times, days and seasons in which you really need new business activity – a true instrument of yield management. We have even designed a “live push” component, so that a business could reach out to customers and further entice them with instant additional incentive.
As things go with small businesses, simplicity trumps flexible but complex options, and new concepts demand a walk-before-you-run entry point. Our user research and design iterations have led us to simplify all this into one very understandable product feature, which we’re launching today.
Our Product News
We’re introducing the Bonus Value Deal. This label captures the 80-20 rule for entry point use cases. Businesses see real appeal in a simple 2-layered deal design that delivers a clear incentive for their customers to use their deals at designated Bonus Times. And, when consumers use the deal during peak periods they are still rewarded, but not at the margin challenged levels most often forced onto them by Daily Deal providers.
This product feature continues to progress our theme of refining deals into everyday promotion tools that the business can use more universally than the brute-force norm of deep universal discounting. To the consumer, it’s simple is execution, as highlighted below.
And to the business we have simplified creation with an optional add-on dialog as a business deal is designed.
This simple design is gaining great traction with business users who love the fundamental concept of Daily Deals, but hate the heavy-handed business model of first generation providers.
Of course, we will continue to leverage our original IP to expand the uses of variable value across a range of consumer activity patterns and live incentive publishing. But we’re getting the yield management ball rolling with this freshly proven technique that businesses love!