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The recently launched digital payment and commerce platform from American Express known as Serve has just announced a new partnership with Patch, AOL's big bet on hyperlocal news and content. Under the new partnership, Serve will power the Patch Deals platform, which will now offer Patch users deals and discounts, Groupon-style, with local merchants on the American Express network.
Patch Deals, like Groupon, Living Social and other similar coupon-sharing startups, is a group-buying deals program that targets local communities. Users sign up for free to receive email alerts from businesses and can then click on any deal that is of interest to them. As is typical with group-buying deals programs, businesses can set a certain number of deals they need before the deal is "on," or "tipped," in the discount shoppers' lingo.
However, unlike Groupon, merchants can list their deals for free, a strategic move which could spell trouble for the popular deals startup and its rivals.
