By now, most web savvy users should be familiar with Groupon and its online daily deals for local goods and services offering discounts between 25%-90%. If you’re interested in the daily deal, you simply purchase it online and print out a coupon for redeeming a restaurant meal deal or attraction discounts.

Orlando’s daily deals, which can be tracked on your computer regardless of where you live, should be monitored by anyone planning a trip there since they can be good for as long as 6 months after purchase.

Groupon Now!

Groupon has expanded it daily offerings with a new service called Groupon Now! At the moment it’s being offered in only one city in each state, and Orlando is its first choice Florida pick.

Instead of a single daily deal, Groupon Now! describes scores of local deals—not 200 of them as its Orlando Groupon Now! website currently claims. Give them a few months since Orlando’s Groupon Now! service started only last week.

Groupon Now! divides the savings into more than a half-dozen categories (some definitely of more interest than others, as you will see). The Groupon Now! offerings are supposed to change regularly, according to this time schedule: 6am-10am; 10-am-2pm; 2pm-6pm; 6pm-10pm; 10pm-6am. Besides looking at Today’s Deals, you can also look at tomorrow’s for the same time periods.

Here’s the current category listing with current examples. Suspect these categories are likely to change since several seem of minimal interest to locals and visitors.

Here’s the current Orlando Groupon Now! category listing with current examples. Suspect these categories are likely to change since several seem of minimal interest to locals and visitors.

Eat Something — Restaurant discounts, the largest category often providing some excellent deals.

Get Pampered — Spas, salons, massage

Go Shopping — Merchants in Orlando seem resistant to offering much of anything this early

Have Fun — Another category with slim pickings

Exercise — Pole dancing, boxing classes and normal fitness training

Take Care of Myself — Teeth whitening, eye exam, massage

Get Pictures Taken — Family photos or personal portfolios

Take a Class — Flash mob cardio class is the only current offering though it seems like pole dancing could fit here as well

Featured Deal, All Deals and Getaways are also listed at the top of the page in the header list. Featured Deal is the original featured daily deal and often the best of the best. All Deals includes the Featured Deal and other Daily Deals that may not have sold out. Getaways contains resorts from all over the world, including Florida, as well as rental car companies.

Live Entertainment is a new Groupon venture, so new that it does not yet have a web site (as of today). You provide your email address and emails for your location are sent whenever something is available. I’m still waiting for my first. For Orlando, this could be a very popular category.

Free Groupon mobile apps for both Apple and Android products.  Including Groupon Now!, making it easier to keep track when you’re on the move.

Until next Monday!

Tim O’Keefe

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