Measurement:
The Divergent Demographics of Groupon and LivingSocial
Everybody loves a daily deal. Who wouldn’t want to get a massage regularly priced at $100 for only $65? And it has become pretty clear that the lead dogs in the daily deal race are Groupon and LivingSocial. But when it comes to choosing which of these to deal with, how are the demographics breaking down? comScore did some research and found out that these two sites have some interesting similarities and differences in the crowds they draw. In my opinion the most interesting part of their findings are education and affluence level of users.
“LivingSocial’s visitors trend younger, slightly more affluent and more highly educated than Groupon’s. In addition, Nielsen found visitors to LivingSocial 49% more likely than the average American online to earn $150,000 or more, while Groupon’s visitors were 30% more likely.”
But this is not to say that if you use Groupon you’re uneducated and broke. Quite honestly, these differences are only slight. Generally, both are quite similar in demographics… and quite interesting. For example, one would assume that a daily deal site would not be frequented by the affluent who don’t need a deal to indulge. But that is exactly who is buying these deals. The study also found that women are far more likely to use these sites than men. Not a big shocker given we know women are the household “buyers.” It’s also in line with digital trends which state that women are much more involved in their digital lives and are steadily becoming more active with brands online. But the question becomes, rather than who is using these sites, who are these sites targeting? If affluent, educated women are the core users, is that because Groupon and LivingSocial are aiming their efforts at this audience? If it has simply been a natural gravitation, it points out a clear opportunity to begin targeting the less affluent who may benefit from the deals more.
Personally, part of me also believes that Groupon and LivingSocial ARE actively targeting the wealthy. Many of their deals are spa packages or exciting experiences. And as I said before, everybody loves a deal. Wealthy or not. What do you guys think? Who do you think these sites are targeting? Are you surprised by comscore’s demographic findings? There are lots of questions to answer here, but it’s certainly adding another compelling side to the Daily Deal debate.
Other Must-Read Headlines this week:
Communities: The downside of Facebook as a public space: Censorship
With the recent removal of Robert Ebert’s Facebook page, a new discussion has come up about censorship on Facebook.
Tools and Technology: In-Stream Ads Are Coming To Twitter, Will A User Revolt Follow?
Twitter has announced that they are trying to incorporate Promoted Tweets in-stream for users. Is there a revolt on the horizon?
Partnerships: Involver Lets Brands Engage With Fans On Facebook Based On Their ‘Klout’
Social marketing platform, Involver, and social measuring tool, Klout, have partnered up to allow brands to interact with fans based on their Klout scores.
Influencers: After Seven Years, The Winklevosses Give Up On Battle With Facebook
After seven long years (that’s right, ladies and gentlemen, seven years) of lawsuits, the Winklevoss twins have finally give up.
Fun Stuff: CAN I BE YOUR FRIEND?
What would happen if our online lives were real?
