Groupon Kicks Off 2012 Grouponicus Holiday Shopping Season with Record-Setting Sales Weekend

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the third year in a row, the Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) Grouponicus Holiday Shop (http://www.groupon.com/gifts) empowered Black Friday and Cyber Monday consumers in the U.S. to give unforgettable local experiences and this season’s hottest goods. The company today announced record holiday weekend purchase rates on Groupon.com and unprecedented Black Friday transactions via Groupon’s Mobile services (http://www.groupon.com/mobile) and Groupon Goods (http://www.groupon.com/goods), which celebrated the biggest four-day weekend of sales since its inception.

If early Grouponicus activity is any indication, shoppers are beginning to view in-store doorbusters and “blink and miss it” hourly deals as outdated as holiday relics like printed gift receipts and answering machine carols. Instead, consumers turned to the convenience of mobile shopping and the hyperlocal Groupon platform to hit every person on their list.

“It’s the Year of Mobile,” said Kal Raman, COO, Groupon. “Shoppers are depending on Groupon to browse and buy on the go, simultaneously shipping gifts to loved ones across the country and driving traffic into brick and mortar businesses to support local economies. We’re proud of such an explosive start to the Grouponicus season and the assistance we’ll provide both consumers and merchants at this time of year.”

Record Transaction Rate on Groupon.com – Local Gifts in High Demand

• On Black Friday Groupon saw almost twice the purchase rate of its previous busiest day on record
• Buying local is critical in helping hundreds of thousands of consumers celebrate the holidays:
  • Leisure activities like the Ice Castles holiday exhibit at Mall of America, Seven Peaks waterpark in Utah and Wine and Palette social painting classes in Oklahoma each sold thousands of units
  • Restaurants reigned as the top deal category purchased with more than 207,400 restaurants, bakeries and desserts units sold…
  • ….Which opened the door for New Year’s resolutions as gift opportunities: shoppers grabbed more than 17,625 fitness deals to help friends and family get healthy in 2013

Unprecedented Mobile Performance

• Black Friday transactions via Mobile were up 140% year over year, driving more than 40% of total Groupon transactions and more than half of Groupon Goods’ transactions
• Groupon saw record-setting mobile traffic, with users ordering at a rate of 4x a normal Friday morning

Groupon Goods Celebrates Biggest Four Day Weekend Since Inception

• Early best sellers indicate thoughtful and stylish gifts are at the top of shoppers’ lists this year:
  • Keepsakes are the ultimate versatile gift: More than 43,000 Customizable Photo Books sold to help holiday memories last all year
  • You’re getting an iPhone: If 40,000 iPhone Case purchases are any indication, look under the tree for a new phone that needs protecting
  • Bling is always in style: 84,000 lobes will sparkle this season thanks to 42,000 Topaz Earrings purchased through Groupon Goods
• …..And toys are always a hit for any age!
  • Don’t worry about sitting at the kids’ table – find one of the 11,000 Flying Helicopters purchased to annoy the “adults”

Grouponicus is Groupon’s third annual ancient wintertime celebration, offering deals that are perfect for gifting. This year the company introduced a host of new Grouponicus features, including a holiday toy catalog, free shipping and returns on Groupon Goods and the first-ever Gift Finder (http://www.groupon.com/gifts), eliminating the guesswork from gift decisions. After a user answers three simple questions about the giftee, the Gift Finder searches through thousands of Groupon deals Groupon to display the perfect options. Additionally, Groupon Grassroots has launched a series of six national campaigns as a part of “The Big Give,” a holiday initiative to showcase charitable giving. Visit http://www.groupon.com/grassroots to donate and learn more.

About Groupon

Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) is a global leader in local commerce, making it easy for people around the world to search and discover great businesses at unbeatable prices. Groupon is reinventing the traditional small business world by providing merchants with a suite of products and services, including customizable deal campaigns, credit card payments processing capabilities and point-of-sale solutions to help them attract more customers and run their operations more effectively. By leveraging the company’s global relationships and scale, Groupon offers consumers incredible deals on the best stuff to eat, see, do, and buy in 48 countries. With Groupon, shoppers discover the best a city has to offer with Groupon Local, enjoy vacations with Groupon Getaways, and find a curated selection of electronics, fashion, home furnishings and more with Groupon Goods. To subscribe to Groupon emails, visit www.Groupon.com. To learn more about the company’s merchant solutions and how to work with Groupon, visit www.GrouponWorks.com.

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 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and subsequently filed quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, 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). You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee that the future results, levels of activity, performance or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur. Moreover, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this press release to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations.