I couldn't get shortable shares. No Put options available either. The first 30 minutes would have been a great short.
Can you talk moure about how the coupon business works and why businesses want to do it over and over?
For every consumer that comes in with the coupon that creates brand loyalty. The additional business that comes in from the coupon is additional so why would a company not want that extra traffic. Buy one get one free means that an additional experience of distributing the brand occurred. For new products coupons make it easier too create brand awareness. Coupons are quantifiable marketing tools. They have trackable bar codes and offer marketing research for the brand. As a business its a pay to play marketing tool.
But coupons attract primarily a particular demographic of consumer: ones looking for a bargain. People don't use coupons becuase they're interested in buying something, they use them to save money.(e.g. a coupon for laundry detergent for one brand one week and a different the next doesn't matter to the consumer, it's all about getting the cheapest product) I've always looked at coupons as loss-leaders, but lately I've realized coupons cause a race-to-the-bottom and only destroy a business's margins. Groupons continuing quarterly losses have only reenforced my views thus-far. I do agree it's a marketing tool.
Close like crap? http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/04/us-groupon-idUSTRE7A352020111104 Lmao.... sure, second in history only to Google = crap. I didn't trade the stock but that's a funny analysis.