Groupon is it worth the bargin for your business ?

People love Groupon - but do businesses.

It’s easily the most effective way to get hundreds or even thousands of people through the door of a business with one day’s advertising. The problem is that the cost of sale doesn’t really add up for the business owner.

Here is an example :

Generally a beauty salon only needs to convert about 10% of Groupon buyers into regular clients for it to make financial sense but based on data we’re only seeing conversion rates of about 1%. Think about that for a second. A salon with three staff sells a thousand deals and only ten of these come back again and pay normal prices.

That’s over a thousand man hours (at least two months) of loss-making treatments to gain seven new clients.

Groupon have been cold calling some of our clients - so be aware not everything is always what it seems, check your market. If it seems to good to be true - you know the rest !

500,000 (Google) Android Phones activated every day

Internet giant Google will buy US smartphone maker Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in cash, giving a boost to its Android mobile operating system, the companies said today.

The firms have entered into a definitive agreement under which Google will buy Motorola Mobility for $40 a share, a 63% premium over the closing price of Motorola Mobility shares on Friday, they said in a statement.

The statements also said their boards of directors had unanimously approved the deal.

Mororola Mobility manufactures smartphones and tablets while it also makes wireless accessories and video and data delivery products. It was separated from the rest of Motorola in January. The company has remade itself as a maker of smartphones based on Android, but has struggled against Apple and Asian smartphone makers.

Google's chief executive Larry Page says that the deal with 'supercharge the entire Android ecosystem.'

The deal gives Google direct control over the maker of many of its Android phones.
Motorola was split into two companies earlier this year. The other company, Motorola Solutions, provides communications products and services to businesses and governments.

Source : RTE News 15th August 2011

Google + Fastest growing site of all time ?

Google+ now has 25 million users, according to analytics firm comScore. That’s very impressive, especially considering that the site is working off an invitation-only model for expansion.

In a Reuters report, comScore said that number cements the new network as the fastest-growing Web site in history. Google launched its network in late June and is currently growing at a rate of one million users per day, the report said.

So does that mean that Google+ is going to take over the social networking sector? Don’t jump to conclusions so quickly.

For one thing, Google+ has the advantage of being the newest kid on the block at a time when users are increasingly willing to join social networks. Google has a huge userbase to build from and — as my Post colleague Ezra Klein pointed out — gives this plugged-in generation the chance to make a digital fresh start.

The report points out that Facebook hit 25 million users in three years, while Twitter took just 30 months.

Early growth doesn’t necessarily mean lasting success. MySpace only took two years to hit 25 million users. Now the network has been sold by News Corp. for far less than its asking price and is looking to the star power of Justin Timberlake to revive its flagging numbers.

And, really, you need to look no further than Google’s own past to see a social network that fell as fast as it rose — Google’s Buzz was the hot invitation-only ticket until privacy concerns and a lack of interest knocked it flat.

Source : Washington Post