More Location-Aware Buy-Ins Mark Ad Stream Shifts
AOL announced today the acquisition of Outside.In, a hyperlocal content platform. Reported sources say that the transaction will involve the sum of $10 million. It is interesting that the buyout takes place amid layoff rumours among AOL employees. Rumor is not the proper word, actually, as CEO Tim Armstrong confirmed that a wave of layoffs is expected to take place after the Huffington Post acquisition.
The integration of location-based services is what currently companies see as a major source of revenues from the advertising and retail perspective, and as AOL marks its shift into a content publishing business, Outside.in’s take on hyperlocal news could be a great point of integration. The New York Times’s app, TimesLimited presents users offers that are limited to a certain time frame, without requiring a minimum number of buyers for any particular offer, Mobile carrier AT&T enabled its ShopAlerts system by which customers receive location-based deals via SMS. Loop addresses Android and iPhone users sending them notification if a deal is immediately available in their area.
After having matured in the US market, Groupon expands to China through a partnership with Tencent Collaboration Fund and Yunfeng Capital in order to serve the world’s largest internet market. Gaopend.com, the new service provider, offers deal in Beijing and Shanghai on a first instance and afterwards expanding to other large Chinese cities.
Following the competitor’s move through Google Offers, Microsoft launches Bing Deals in collaboration with Dealmap, aimed at serving both mobile and PC users. Google firstly spotted a huge opportunity in merging with Groupon, but after a rejection from the latter, Google launched its own deal service. Bing Deals will displays coupons and discounts from Groupon, LivingSocial etc., aiming to integrate ‘deals’ into its search results in the near future.
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