Trade Me to launch Treat Me for retail bargain hunters

Trade Me will launch its own group buying site, Treat Me, today and will offer Wellingtonians and Aucklanders discounts on local services and experiences from next week.

The company is taking on Mediaworks, Yellow Pages and APN News and Media in the battle for the dollars of bargain hunting Kiwis.

Group buying sites offer daily discounted deals - usually for services and experiences  - that are activated when a certain number of people sign up. Site members are emailed the deals each morning.

Treat Me head James MacAvoy said it would launch in other regions over the next eight months.  Deals would begin on March 22, but people could sign up to the site from today.

Treat Me had planned to launch in Christchurch today but that had been delayed by the earthquake.

Commentators have predicted a rationalisation in the market, given the profusion of daily deals and group buying sites. Mediaworks, Yellow Pages, APN and Yahoo7 all have sites of their own. 

MacAvoy said Treat Me would be able to leverage Trade Me's following.

''The more sites there are the harder it gets to fit in people's inboxes. But by having such a big network we've got more to offer to the companies that will use us as advertising.''    

Site members could expect discounts of at least 50 per cent and as high as 95 per cent.

Trade Me chief executive Jon Macdonald said deals would include offers from restaurants, zoos and accommodation and travel providers.

source:stuff.co.nz