Groupon is the number one provider of online daily discounts and has over 80 million subscribers that receive the deal of the day in their email box.  They reach over 600 local markets.  Living in Houston, TX, I have seen everything from discounts on Sushi to Paint Ball.  I have taken advantage of a few of these deals.

My question is Could Groupon work for B2B companies? 

Would small business owners like to receive a daily discount email regarding Hydraulic Tool Repair, Power Coating,  Deliver Services that offer a 2 hour delivery for the price of a 4 hour?

With any kind of marketing, finding the right audience is key.  In the B2C market, blasting out a Groupon daily deal of offering $40 worth of food for $20 isn’t rocket science.  People have to eat, so you are offering them double the money if they choose to eat at your restaurant. Now the restaurant owner is hoping that after you experience the 1/2 off food, you will come back and be willing to pay full price.

Now offering a discount on Hydraulic tool repair would need to be target market focused. So what if a Groupon like company where to team up with an industrial organization like the International Association of Drilling Contractors and offer its members a daily deal email.  A drilling contractor receiving an email about hydraulic tool repair services would be target market specific. The association and the daily deal provider could split the revenue generated from the deals purchased.  They may not need tool repair today but like most daily deals they can buy it and use it later.

I bet the B2B deals would cost more than the deal I saw today which was a 51% discount on the tickets to an upcoming Judas Priest concert.  Yes, you heard right.  Ticket Scalping 2011 for a 70’s Band….

What are your thoughts on a B2B Groupon strategy?