CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) (www.groupon.com) today announced that a free beta version of Groupon Scheduler, an easy-to-use online booking and staffing management tool, will be available to all appointment-based small businesses in the US and Canada (excluding Quebec). Scheduler is the most intuitive and complete free product of its kind and represents the latest addition to Groupon’s extensive suite of merchant marketing tools, which help business owners acquire more customers and run their businesses more successfully.
Scheduler provides merchants with a convenient, free way to accept online bookings 24/7 and seamlessly integrates into the Groupon deals process. Once a Groupon has been purchased, a customer can schedule an appointment in just seconds through their account on Groupon.com. Merchants can also add a “Book Now” button to their website and use Scheduler to manage online booking for all of their services—not just those offered through Groupon.
“Effectively managing appointments and staffing schedules is critical for small businesses, but it takes a tremendous amount of time and energy,” said David Katz, General Manager, Groupon Scheduler. “Scheduler streamlines these time-consuming tasks and lets business owners dedicate more time to what matters most—developing a thriving business.”
Groupon Scheduler works for a wide range of appointment-based businesses especially spas, salons, services and businesses offering classes or scheduled activities. Merchants can customize almost every aspect of Scheduler, including business hours, locations, services offered and appointment confirmations. Scheduler sends consumers immediate booking confirmations, as well as automated email reminders up to 72 hours before scheduled appointments, which helps reduce late arrivals, no-shows and cancellations.
In addition, Scheduler provides merchants with a client list and business dashboard showing real-time numbers of total appointments, new customers and percentage of bookable time filled. Scheduler also gives merchants the ability to easily track Groupon redemptions.
“We began using Groupon Scheduler in February and it has been a great tool to help manage customer appointments and employee schedules,” said Jane Kane, Loving Lotus Center & Spa in Coral Gables, Fla. “It was extremely easy to implement and Groupon Scheduler has helped reduce the amount of time I spend on administrative tasks, giving me more time to do what I enjoy most—work with my clients.”
The product is based on technology obtained through Groupon’s September 2011 acquisition of OpenCal, a Vancouver, Canada-based company and was successfully piloted in Sacramento and Miami.
Businesses can access the free beta version of Groupon Scheduler by visiting www.groupon.com/scheduler.
About Groupon
Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN) launched in November 2008 in Chicago, features a daily deal on the best stuff to do, eat, see and buy in 48 countries around the world. Groupon uses collective buying power to offer huge discounts and provide a win-win for business and consumers, delivering more than 1,000 daily deals globally. To subscribe for the best deals in your city, visit www.groupon.com. To learn how to become a featured business, visit www.grouponworks.com. To learn more about Groupon Scheduler, visit www.groupon.com/scheduler.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from those discussed. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the factors included under the headings “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in the company’s registration statement on Form S-1, as amended, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 1, 2011, copies of which may be obtained by visiting the company’s Investor Relations web site at http://investor.groupon.com or the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. Groupon’s actual results could differ materially from those predicted or implied and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance.
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