Trend to Watch: Daily Deals for Cars

Ever since Gilt Groupe had a flash sale for the special limited edition 2011 VW Jetta a while back for $6,000, I have been waiting for a site to pop up dedicated to daily deals for cars! It turns out that not too long ago, CarsGroupBuy.com was launched in Singapore and now its being tested in Long Island, New York.

This is an interesting step for both the daily deal and car markets, and certainly will make a splash. CarsGroupBuy works in a very interesting way, and offers deals on brand new cars at select dealerships for up to 15% off.  Basically, there is a deal listed on the site where customers can book the vehicle for a low price ($100-$299). The offers work like other deals sites in that users can print out a voucher to present to the retailer, but deals are very time sensitive and may only be valid for a single day or possibly 48 hours. I bet some people run to the dealership to claim their deal! Currently the site is offering huge discounts on cars and SUVs such as the Honda Pilot 2011.

So stay alert Lifesta Lovers! This is a trend to watch as daily deals sites are getting creative to expand in every single area. Who knows, maybe daily deals for cars will be for sale on Lifesta in the near future. But what do you think? Would you buy a car through a daily deal site? If so, what kind would you want to see? Personally, I’d like to see a discounted limo deal so that I can drive from place to place in style while redeeming my deals purchased on Lifesta!

Deal or no Deal – Am I Dreaming?

Am I dreaming? There is a Groupon this week that literally blew my mind. Not only is it a Groupon for 84% off plastic surgery, the people who wrote the deal description over at Groupon must have been joking! Take a look below….

Let’s Evaluate: First of all, if I wanted a more youthful appearance, I don’t think I’d trust getting it for $249. Next, the deal description compares your skin to an acrylic bathtub (uh, what?!), and then goes on to compare collagen treatments to making fist pumps at a nightclub. Hold up, did the cast of Jersey Shore write this? I could swear that’s something Snookie or Mike ‘The Situation’ would say (see video below). But wait, the fun isn’t over…they close the deal description by saying after the treatments you can quickly bounce back into your normal routine “and make faces at passing school buses.” They say this as if that’s a normal thing people do daily!

I mean this is straight up comedy! Because of this combination of an unforgettable deal description and a ridiculous deal, this is both a deal WIN and FAIL!

Now that (and the deals on Lifesta.com) are things to pump your fists about!

A Few Words on ‘Niche Daily Deal’ Sites

What do kitty litter, Batman, matzo balls, and weddings have in common? Actually, more than you may think! It seems that almost every day there are tons of sites being added to the daily deal mix. It’s very clear that the start of Groupon sparked these niche sites. Check out a few that have caught my attention:

If you consider yourself a geek, then you can save 50-90% on your favorite superhero in tights at Thwipster. What about the Bridezillas out there that want to have ‘more cake’ while ‘spending less dough’? Then Wedobo is for you. Jdeal is for everything Kosher and beyond targeted towards the Jewish crowd. Finally, if you’re a cat lover and need some cat chow, check out Meowing Deals.

I guess it’s nice that there are targeted deals tailored for specific interests out there. Sure, I am poking a little fun at these sites, but some of them seem so off the wall*! What do you think? What are some niche and super-targeted daily deal sites that you’d like to see? Here are some suggestions from the Lifesta staff:

My Daily _____ :

1. Booze Cruise Deals

2. AA subscriptions (an subsidiary of booze cruise deals (TM))

3. Coffee and Chocolate Deals

4. ?

*Please note that deals from these sites could pop up on Lifesta.com, if they haven’t already!

Rock ‘n Roll ‘n Save

What do Usher, Adele, Florence & the Machine, Journey, and Katy Perry all have in common? Besides being some of the biggest names on the music scene, they are all embarking on nationwide tours this spring and summer. Undoubtedly you will want to see some of them live in person. Most of us aren’t lucky enough to fork out hundreds of dollars to see our favorites up close and personal. There are many ways to save for concert season, and here is an easy guide to help you get the best bang for your buck to enjoy seeing your favorites!

Who do you want to see this summer? There are so many great concerts and festivals! How can you save?

- Groupon has partnered with Live Nation brining you GrouponLive. This deal section on the Groupon website will be nice to save some cash on some of the best upcoming tours. While I save on my tickets, I will surely grab a voucher off of Lifesta whether it’s towards a new outfit for the show, or a voucher to save on a nice dinner before. There’s always a great deal to buy on Lifesta for all occasions!
- Another great outlet to get tickets at the best price is Ticket Network. Here you can get hot tickets at discounted prices in bulk. It’s a great source to check regularly especially once tickets on TicketMaster sell out. There are tons of tickets being added each day. Another great one is SeatGeek which shows you the venue map with the exact location of where the seats for your tickets are located.
- If I’m saving some money on the tickets, I definitely want to save on transportation too. Arriving in style with a limo is way more fun, but they can be very expensive. LimoDeals.com is the place to go for the best deals on limos in your area. It also is an aggregator site like Travelocity where you can compare prices from different services.

What concerts are you most looking forward to? Do you have any additional tips to save money on concerts? Post a comment! Rock on, and enjoy the shows!

Marketplace Mobility

What do Starbucks, Chase Bank, and Ticketmaster all have in common? Each one of these companies has mobile applications for smartphones that are so compelling that I want to share them with you! Here at Lifesta we have mobile apps on our minds because we are working on one. What are some of your favorite mobile apps? Check out my top 3:

1)     Starbucks Mobile: If you know me, you will see me with a grande iced white chocolate mocha glued to my hand each morning. This application is fantastic, and makes my day! I can reload my card, check balances, and pay for my drinks all with my phone. I don’t need to worry about bringing my Starbucks card with me everywhere.

2)     CHASE Bank: All you need to know about this one is that you do not need to go to the bank or ATM to deposit checks. You literally can take a photo of the check with your smartphone and it will automatically deposit into your account. Need I say more?!

3)     Ticketmaster ‘iRock’- Ticketmaster has developed an application that scans my music on my iPod. I get alerts on upcoming shows based on the artists on my iPod and the area that I am in. I can of course purchase tickets right then and there all on my phone!

Since we are gearing up for some new and exciting changes, we want to create the best app for you to use. We see a need to develop one that allows you to continue to live that affordable yet luxurious lifestyle. Would you use it to buy and search for deals, or to share with your friends? What kind of deals would you use on the go? So its up to YOU! Help us decide what you would like to see on a Lifesta mobile application. Share your thoughts in our comments section!

Lifesta – the movie!

So, in addition to being software engineers, graphic designers, lawyers, writers, marketers and a bunch of other things life as entrepreneurs has also made us movie producers. Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_ZiQpqIbTw

Help suggest a title. We’ve got:

• It’s not real life, it’s real Lifesta!
• Life is good, Lifesta is better!
• Sex, Lifesta and Videotape

Today’s Deal: Discounted Spam

How Spam is Made

Original at: http://www.groupon.com/deals/paddy-longs-beer-pub-chicago