*Yahoo! partners with leading local-offer providers to bring the best deals to hundreds of millions of consumers*
SUNNYVALE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Yahoo!, Inc. today announced the launch of Local Offers, a program in which Yahoo! 
is partnering with leading online and offline providers to build one of the largest and most comprehensive repositories of local offers on the Internet. Currently in limited beta in the U.S., Local Offers will make it easy for millions of consumers to find, right on Yahoo!, the best local deals and savings in their area.
“The local landscape is exploding with new sources of content and advertising, and consumers want these experiences personalized just for them. Yahoo! is taking the complexity out of finding the great local deals that are most relevant to their interests and needs,” said Matt Idema, vice president, Yahoo! Local. “With more than 180 million unique visitors1 to Yahoo!’s sites in the U.S., we are uniquely positioned to deliver our local-offer partners the massive scale and targeting needed to reach engaged audiences, grow their businesses, and drive foot traffic to local merchants.”
Yahoo! is launching its Local Offers program with more than a dozen partners to provide a wide selection of local deals, coupons and other offers — from nearby spas, restaurants and other local retailers. These partners will benefit from Yahoo!’s unique ability to reach the right consumers in the right setting in meaningful numbers. Launch partners include Groupon, LivingSocial, Gilt City, BloomSpot, BuyWithMe, DealOn, Zozi, CrowdSavings, Lifebooker, FreshGuide, Scoop St, Goldstar, HomeRun, Tippr, Coupons.com, and Valpak. More partners are to come.
“Consumers are inundated with offers, both online and off. I think a service that aggregates several different special deals sources will give consumers great deals and make the marketplace much more transparent,” said Karsten Weide, research vice president, Digital Media & Entertainment, at IDC. “For partners in such a service, the audience reach of a large partner will give them a lot of much needed distribution.”
Yahoo!’s Local Offers program is open to all deal providers, including local “deal of the day” partners and traditional direct-marketing partners, offering them an effective way to target offers and reach engaged audiences. In the near future, Yahoo! will extend the reach of its Local Offers program, making it available to more consumers throughout the US.
1. comScore Media Metrix, October, 2010
Partner Quotes in Support of Yahoo!’s Local Offers Program
LivingSocial:
“This partnership provides us with an excellent opportunity to engage the Yahoo! community with the same great deals that are available through LivingSocial,” said Tim O’Shaughnessy, CEO and co-founder of LivingSocial. “As Yahoo! users enjoy interacting within their local communities, they can take advantage of outstanding deals on all the services and experiences LivingSocial offers in their area — from restaurants and spas, to travel and outdoor adventure.”
Gilt City:
“Working with Yahoo! will allow us to offer targeted Gilt City experiences to Yahoo!’s impressive local audience,” said Nate Richardson, president of Gilt City. “This partnership builds on the strength of Gilt City as we expand into more markets.”
BloomSpot:
“This partnership enables our merchants to reach a highly targeted audience at scale to deliver luxury lifestyle offers,” said Jasper Malcolmson, CEO, BloomSpot. “With Yahoo!, this is an opportunity for millions of consumers to discover incredible getaways and unique local experiences from Bloomspot.”
BuyWithMe:
“Clearly, shoppers and businesses alike have embraced the community-buying model and we envision huge growth potential in 2011 and beyond,” said Cheryl Rosner, CEO, BuyWithMe. “It’s more than connecting the right shoppers with the best local businesses in their city. It’s about helping people discover and better enjoy their communities while providing businesses with new and repeat loyal customers.”
*Source: Yahoo!