Google Maps: Local Discount Coupons Scheme

[engine]

Google is expanding its local directory business using the same sort of disruptive tactics it has used in other areas: giving away something for which others charge.

Starting today, Google will let any business offer discount coupons to people who use its Google Maps service, which also acts as an online yellow pages. A business will be able to upload information for coupons, including images, and Google will display a link to those coupons when the business name is displayed. Users can then print the coupons and take them to the merchant.

Google Maps: Local Discount Coupons Scheme [nytimes.com]

[jtara]

How many people use maps to shop? Raise your hands.

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Anyone?

[drshields]

Our website is in a niche that Google has slowly been creeping up on in recent years, and this latest move by google is only one more example of this. While we rely on Google for a lot of traffic that comes our way, its frusterating in that google will slowly start to actually drive customers away from our site -- because I can just about gaurantee that google's new features/services will be listed before ours...

[cabowabo]

Bueller? ..... Bueller? .... Anyone?

[graywolf]

Well if you search Pizza in Mountain View CA [google.com] the first listing takes you to the map. If owned a pizza parlor in Mountain View CA I could see value in having a coupon on that page.

I think the "map" link should be renamed to "local search" but that's just my 2 drachmas.

[tedster]

How many people use maps to shop? Raise your hands.

I do regularly, and I show it to my friends and family, too.

This week I found a new restaurant and a local art supply store. Two weeks ago I was in another state and I used it to find a tobacconist who sold my brand, the local franchise of my favorite clothing store, a health food store and several other needs of the moment.

"Local Search" -- yes, I agree that's a more intuitive name.

[opifex]

A lot of people do ... especially when planning vacation. Great idea for destinations ... unfortunately .... my part of the world doesn't exist in the travel sections of google and yahoo except for the high roller hotels .... have gotten some feedback from yahoo on the subject, but google .... well, not yet anyway

[earlpearl]

I've been tracking my local biz site traffic for 3 years. Very very little usage of local from any of the 3 engines.

On the other hand I'm thinking of trying it to see how it works.

Dave