Getting Ready for Your Groupon Campaign: Frequently Asked Questions

Campaign Questions

Q: How long in advance will I know when my Groupon campaign is going to run?
A: The Groupon team strives to give merchants as much advanced notice in order to fully prepare you to run your Groupon campaign. The amount of time will vary on a case-by-case scenario. Either way you can be assured that we will fully prepare you and set you up for success prior to your campaign going live.

Q: How do I ensure that all the details of my Groupon campaign are accurate prior to it going live?
A: Prior to the deal going live, you will receive an email from your dedicated Account Manager that fully outlines what your feature will look like and the information it contains. You are responsible to correct any inaccuracies or other necessary changes. Contact your Account Manager directly to ensure those edits are made prior to your campaign starting.

Q: If any of the details on my Groupon campaign write-up are not correct, how do I fix those?
A: We’re happy to change any details related to your business or campaign that are factually inaccurate. Contact your Account Manager directly to ensure those edits are made prior to your campaign starting. Please note, we’re not able to change the write-up, including the humor elements and any images/artwork, because it has been carefully crafted to engage and build trust with our readers.

Q: How do I set up my Merchant Center account and log-in?
A: You will receive an email from Groupon Merchant Support that directs you to the Merchant Center and gives you instructions on how to create your account. After you set-up up your account, you can go back to: merchants.groupon.com anytime to view all the details and the progress of your Groupon campaign. Each time you will need to log-in using the email address and password you assigned to your Merchant Center account when you set it up. If you've forgotten your password, visit: http://www.groupon.com/users/forgot_password.

Q: Who will be doing what before, during and after my Groupon campaign process?
A: Initially, your Sales Representative works with you in order to determine if running a Groupon campaign is beneficial to your business. The Sales Representative will qualify your company by asking you questions that are meant to ensure you will be successful when running with Groupon. If you’re selected, your Sales Rep will go through the Groupon contract with you. Once the contract is signed, you will get an email from your Account Manager who will be your single point of contact moving forward. Your Account Manager is your dedicated resource in creating a deal that makes the most sense for your business and will be there to answer any and all questions you may have before, during and after your deal runs.

Q: How much will it cost me to do a Groupon campaign?
A: Businesses don’t pay anything up front to be featured on Groupon.

Q: How do I manage and answer customer's questions regarding my Groupon campaign?
A: When customers ask Groupon a question about your campaign, we’ll send an email to the main business email address we have associated with your account. In order for the question to become visible to the public, you must answer the question.
In order to respond, make sure you are logged in to your Merchant Center account and scroll down to the bottom of the main portion of the write-up on your deal, just above the "Groupon the Cat" section. Click the button that says "Ask a Question." As soon as you’re on the message board, you will see any customer questions that are pending, which means that they have not yet been approved to appear on the campaign page.

Q: What are “Smart Deals”?
A: In order to deliver the most relevant deals to our customers and the best customers to our merchants, we created a system called “Smart Deals”. The way it works is, each customer receives a deal tailored to their preferences based on information they’ve shared with us which can then result in a better and more successful campaign for the merchant.

Q: How many Groupon vouchers can I expect to sell?
A: This number can vary greatly. While we can't guarantee that a certain number will be sold, we can set a cap on your campaign to make sure there aren't too many sold.

Q: Can I target specific zip codes with my deal?
A: Not at this time, and you probably wouldn’t want to – you’d miss amazing customers! We use an algorithm based primarily on customer provided preferences to determine which customers receive our deals. While we strongly factor location, sending deals based on customer preferences is proven to enhance performance!

Q: What’s to prevent customers from using a Groupon more than once?
A: We've put several measures in place to prevent customers from using a Groupon voucher multiple times. The most reliable measure is redeeming your customers’ Groupon vouchers as you collect them. Many merchants tell us that they find using our smart phone merchant application to be the simplest approach. It is available via the Android Marketplace or the App Store, which syncs with your Merchant Center account. This allows you to see whether the Groupon voucher is valid or invalid as soon as you scan it. We've also added randomized letters at the end of our redemption codes, so customers can’t guess the number and forge a Groupon voucher. It also helps prevent against further fraud.

Q: After running my Groupon campaign how soon can I work with Groupon to create another?
A: Since Groupon runs local deals with different businesses in markets of all sizes across the country, there is no single set of guidelines for how often a merchant can launch a new campaign with us. We strongly encourage merchants to communicate their desire to be featured again to their Account Managers. Keep in mind that we select deals primarily based on market-specific performance information. This ensures variety for Groupon subscribers and has proven results in better performing campaigns for our merchants.

Payment Questions

Q: When will I get paid?
A: In advance of your campaign, we send you an email entitled “Getting Ready for your Groupon.” This message will confirm the payment method you would like to use. We can pay merchants by check or by ACH. Most of our merchants are paid 33% in each of their first two checks, which are sent immediately and about 30 days post-feature, respectively. A third payment, sent at about 60 days post-feature reconciles refunds and refund escrow funds with additional units sold through our Private Sale. Please allow up to ten business days for checks to be processed and arrive at your place of business.

Q: Why was my third payment a different amount than the first two payments?
A: Your last check amount may be different for a few reasons. The most likely reason your check may be more is that we now allow merchants to participate in a fantastic program called “Private Sale” or “Deal Vault.” This tool allows the best customers for your business to purchase your deal, even after the campaign comes down from our site, for up to 60 days or until your last check. In addition, special circumstances sometimes require some customers to be removed from the customer list. Reach out to your Account Manager if you have any questions about the your payment or the number of customers on your customer list at any point.

Q.Can I do direct deposit?
A: While we don't offer direct deposit, we recognize that most of our merchants prefer to be paid electronically, so we currently pay merchants by ACH payment by default. ACH payments arrive directly in the merchant's account within 5 business days of payment processing. Paper checks are also available for merchants that prefer that method. Be sure to review your payment contract with your Account Manager in order to verify the proper payment method is noted.

Product Questions

Q: What is Groupon Scheduler and can any business use it?
A: Groupon Scheduler is an online booking tool that lets you easily manage staff schedules and allows your customers to make and manage appointments online. Available to your customers 24/7, Groupon Scheduler lets you spend less time answering phones and more time focusing on your business.

Q: What is Groupon Now! and can any business use it?
A: Groupon Now! is an instant “buy and use” platform where a consumer will look for deals around them when they are hungry or bored. They must use the deal they purchase that same day during a specific time frame that you set. This deal is completely customizable and you can pause or end the deal at any point. For more information call 1-866- 956-1276 or apply at grouponworks.com/get-featured.

Q: What is Staggered Expiration?
A: Stagggered Expiraiton is a feature offered by Groupon to help ensure a consistent flow of customers throughout your campaign. Instead of assigning one expiration date for your deal, we give it three expiration dates and stagger these dates a few weeks apart. Stretching your campaign’s expiration helps alleviate the fluctuation of customers so you can continue to focus on delivering exceptional customer experience.

For more information on how Groupon partners with businesses and view case studies from merchants who have worked with Groupon, go to: www.grouponworks.com