The 3:49 am is EST but the posting made me realize that our new server had its time set wrong. It was actually 2:49 am EST. I frequently wake at that time, read for an hour, sip some kentucky bourbon and then head back to sleep. I am definitely not a stars in the eyes kinds of person. When the lights start blurring there is one and only one place I want to be and thats bed.

The free delivery was my test coupon to see how things worked and to measure demand. It has been in there since day 1 of coupons (August 2006) and been pretty invisible until just recently. During that time in siberian exile my coupons have elicted 1 response. Obviously, this is a small market, low broadband penetration, relatively unsophisticated user base.

As Time points out, the bugs in the system being fixed, the increasing inventory and the relative sophistication of the users are leading Google to highlight them more.

Its amazing to me that after 1.5 years this thing is just barely starting to get some traction and it still isn’t clear if it will be a winner.

Mike

When the Google Local Business Center came out, I went and signed up.
I think at the time, you could only verify your listing by mail. I went through the process and verified my local business listing after receiving a PIN from Google headquarters. I thought I was good to go…

When Google coupons came out later, I went immediately to sign up. I then logged into my Google Local account where none of my previous account activity had been authenticated although for some reason my appended local listing was propagating.

To this day my Google Local account says “waiting verification” and the coupon I created is still in the account but inactive because of the previously mentioned “waiting verification” status.

It looks like they may have gotten the bugs worked out so I am going to try it again.

I agree: if Google starts blending coupons into results, their inventory and usage should increase over time. However, I think overall the sophistication
of the majority of searchers and a market’s population density will be the determining factors.

Is 3:49 you being up late PST or getting up early EST?

Thanks again for the super article. I noticed you’ve got a nice coupon for free delivery in there. Cool.
Miriam

Yes it adds a twist to the coupon game. 2 for the price of 1 I guess.

I wrote it just for you

Mike

BTW you sure are working late

Coupons had been so buried and hard to find I hadn’t really worried about it. I figured that if anybody had ever found them, they deserved credit for the hard work.

It makes sense that they would carry more weight for the coupon clipper if they had an expiration date but there had been a bug in the expiration date that had been reported in expiration date setting the Google Maps for Business Group.

Let me know if that bug has been fixed.

Also since I was doing more for reason 2 I wasn’t as concerned,

One of these days when Google has adequate inventory they might actually make them more visible by adding a link in the OneBox listing. Maybe this appearance in the search results will lead to that. Who knows.

Mike

I want more local clients who this will be suitable for. At present, the ones I have in mind won’t exactly work for coupons, but this strategy broadens the net of who WILL be a good candidate for a coupon.

I really thank you for writing about this, Mike. I’m awfully glad I asked about this.

Miriam

I had put a coupon up for a friend and just went to check it and discovered that I let it expire! Ohhhhhh! And now Google wants the listing code all over again? Arggghhh! Quick Tip: Don’t let it expire!

Did you use an expiration date on the coupons you set it up? It would seem to be a more legitimate offer with an expiration, but more maintenance.

Let me know if you see any impact and how long it takes.

Mike