Amazon is launching its Groupon rival, AmazonLocal, across Europe, as the online retail giant looks to cash-in on the growing daily deals market.
Launched last summer in the US, AmazonLocal offers users time- and location-sensitive discounts on shopping, restaurants, and special events.
Like market leader Groupon, the local deals that offer price breaks on everything from spa treatments to flying lessons are shared via email subscription.
While such a model might help a company like Groupon improve its direct marketing relationship with customers, the effect is likely 10-fold for Amazon due to its large ecosystem of products and services, as well as its successful rollout of the Kindle line of devices.
Amazon is launching the service on its Amazon Appstore throughout the European market in countries including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.
The store’s approach differs depending on the country, starting with the name. In Spain the store is called “Tienda Apps,” in the UK it is called “Amazon Appstore for Android,” and in Germany, Italy, and France it’s called the “App-Shop.”
“Amazon has spent years developing innovative features that help customers find and discover the products that are right for them and have applied that know-how to the Amazon Appstore. We’re delighted to extend that experience to our European customers,” said Amazon Appstore vice president Jim Adkins.
