Moving further into the realm of ecommerce, Facebook plans to test a Groupon-like daily deal service in several U.S. cities, Bloomberg reports. Part of Facebook's existing Deals program, which lets
businesses offer specials to users, debut cities include San Francisco, San Diego, Dallas, Atlanta, and Austin. Bloomberg describes the move as "an effort to use its 500 million-plus members to
capitalize on the surging online-deal market."
According to Bloomberg, Facebook's staff will work directly with businesses to highlight deals, and encourage users to share them with
friends. "Local businesses will be able to sign up to use this feature soon, and people will be able to find Deals in the coming weeks," Facebook said in the statement.
Seemingly
out of nowhere, the daily deal industry has emerged as a driving force for online and cross-channel commerce. And, while it's no guarantee that the business will come naturally to Facebook, its
massive presence and countless social connections make it an instant player in the group-buying field.
Read the whole story at Bloomberg »