Friday, April 8, 2011

Groupon take over Disdus

Groupon, the largest online coupon firm in America, has acquired Indonesian Web start-up Disdus to expand its business in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

Disdus, which operates in Jakarta and Bandung, will soon be renamed Groupon Indonesia. Interest in the country is being spurred by its large market and growing consumer spending. Groupon made similar acquisitions in Singapore in December 2010 and in Malaysia in January.

The company founded less than a year ago by Jason and Ferry Tenka, who met at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, Disdus has offered about 30,000 vouchers working with more than 200 merchants across Indonesia, including BlitzMegaplex cinema, retailer Mitra Adi Perkasa and Ismaya Group, a food and beverage company.

Groupon Indonesia will operate by negotiating discounts with popular businesses and sharing them with subscribers through daily e-mails. In less than three years of business, Groupon’s daily deals have provided e-commerce a new approach to replace traditional marketing strategies.

The Economist magazine reported last month that Groupon made $760 million in revenue last year. Last year, Yahoo took control of Koprol, one of Indonesia’s location-based sites that connects people in one surrounding area.


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