Groupon Opens Premium Channel to Mobile

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Groupon has extended its new channel for high-end, discounted restaurant reservations to iPhone, with other mobiles soon to follow.

Users of iPhones can now use the Groupon mobile app to book tables at premium restaurants in 10 U.S. cities. The app will also be available on Android and iPad by year's end.

The Reserve Channel, launched earlier this month, allows selected premium restaurants to offer last-minute, unused seats in their establishments to consumers at discounts of up to 40 percent. Unlike Groupon's daily deals, the transactions do not involve vouchers.

As of the end of the first quarter this year, 45 percent of Groupon's transactions in North America were taking place on mobile, the company says, also noting that reservations in general have gone up since the launch of the Reserve Channel on July 1.

"We think the Reserve channel and mobile are very complementary of each other. When you're out and about with your friends looking for something to eat, see, do and buy, you can pull out your mobile device and make a reservation at one of the best restaurants in your city that comes with a discount," says Groupon spokesman Nick Halliwell.

Currently available in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., the Reserve Channel will also be extended to other cities and will include offerings from beauty, product, travel and entertainment brands, spas, salons, and hotels.