One deal a day

One deal a day is a web-based business model in which a single type of product is offered for sale for a period of 24 hours. Certain sites sell items uniquely by this method. Other established retailers, such as Amazon.com and Buy.com feature a "deal a day" item in addition to more conventional sales methods.

History

The concept originated on the internet with the launching of Woot.com in July 2004. By late 2006, it had exploded, with more than 100 deal-a-day sites in existence.cite web |url=http://www.dodtracker.com/howitworks.html#who |title=Which sites do we choose to track? |accessdate=2007-03-12 |format=HTML |language=English ] The products sold primarily include geek toys, such as USB powered gadgets or computer peripherals. Goods sold may also be in the form of coupons redeemable at other sites.

Since fast delivery and local knowledge is key to this business, sites tend to operate on specific geographic territories.

Online forums

An aspect of the 'one deal a day' concept that differentiates it from other business models is the use of forums. In general forums are uncensored, even of posts that would negatively impact products being sold or the reputation of the seller. This permits forums to act as unpaid salesmen who explain the features of a product to potential customers. Customers also benefit as they can make more informed choices. The seller benefits from this as customers that would be disappointed with a product, and might seek to return it or require tech support, simply do not buy it. Posters are even encouraged to post comical posts making the forums an entertainment destination.

Variations

* Longer time frames, such as a week
* Progressively decreasing prices
* Choosing between two different deals
* Locating deals on auction sites such as eBay

Notes