Groupon Mimics LivingSocial, Offers $1 Deals

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Groupon is taking a page from LivingSocial's playbook to launch its mobile deals platform GrouponNow. The Chicago-based company is running $1 deals tomorrow in its hometown in the name of hundreds of merchants.

Brands and SMBs participating in the promotion include 7-Eleven, Piece Brewery and Pizzeria, Carson's, and Geja's Café, Groupon announced today.

While LivingSocial ran a similar campaign on April 14th in Washington, D.C., it's Instant Deals offers were often limited to a few hours. The GrouponNow deals, on the other hand, will begin at 6 a.m. CT and can be redeemed for the following 24 hours.

The promotion is receiving print and radio support, as well as a street team push around the Windy City.

Meanwhile, LivingSocial continues to run Instant deals on a daily basis in Washington D.C., but has yet to expand the initiative to other markets. Both LivingSocial and Groupon's recent moves underscore how the emerging geo-deals niche is heating up.

According to AllThingsD, Groupon VP of mobile partnerships Michael Shim on Tuesday told an audience at Mobile Northwest: "Mobile is huge for Groupon…I believe we could [do] 50 percent of deals sold/purchased in the next couple of years."