Washington D.C. Merchants Credit LivingSocial for Boost in Business

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- LivingSocial (www.livingsocial.com), the online source for people to find handpicked experiences at a great value, today reports the impact its Daily Deals program has had on Washington D.C. small businesses. The company first launched its Daily Deals program in its hometown in July 2009, and local business owners have thrived, welcoming hundreds of thousands of LivingSocial subscribers through their doors. More than 400 DC-area merchants have marketed their establishments, experiences and services with LivingSocial's Daily Deals program, saving shoppers more than $13 million to date.

"As a startup, we value LivingSocial's inherent support of the small business community here in D.C. and now, around the world in more than 100 markets and five countries," said Tim O'Shaughnessy, CEO and Co-founder of LivingSocial. "By having experts on the ground working with small business owners we are better able to craft deals that appeal to the local consumer while delivering both immediate and long-lasting results to the merchant. It's a win-win for local consumers and merchants."

Among the tens of thousands of small businesses in the D.C. area, a large majority of local merchants have been selected to team up with LivingSocial to promote their services and attract new customers through unique, curated experiences at discounted prices. Local sushi hotspot, Kushi attributes tremendous success to LivingSocial, as does Virginia's By the Side of the Road Inn & Cottages who saw an incredible influx of new customers to both the Inn and surrounding local businesses, thanks to LivingSocial.

No Vacancies By the Side of the Road

Just outside of D.C. in Harrisonburg, VA, the owner of a small bed and breakfast created her first LivingSocial Deal in April 2010. She offered a fully-planned getaway, complete with two-night stay, breakfast, wine tasting and discounts on other local attractions in the town. "In 11 hours, I sold 702 Deals – that's 1400 room nights or two years worth of rooms and more than double the amount of rooms I sold in 2009," said Janice Fitzgerald, innkeeper and owner of By the Side of the Road Inn & Cottages. "This Deal alone has brought a new wave of visitors to Harrisonburg. By the Side of the Road isn't the only business benefitting, the whole city's economy has strengthened over the past year and will continue to do so in 2011– a lot of that has to do with LivingSocial."

Kushi Sushi Makes a Killing

In May 2010, husband and wife team, Darren Lee Norris and Ari Kushimoto Norris ran a LivingSocial Deal for their sushi restaurant, Kushi. Within hours, they sold 4,337 Deals. "At the time we engaged with LivingSocial, Kushi was only two months old, and as a new business, we had tons of operational expenses to handle and no budget for advertising or marketing," said Ari Kushimoto Norris, co-owner of Kushi. "LivingSocial was perfect for us since there were no upfront costs and it was essentially free marketing for Kushi. Plus, we've gained several return customers since the Deal ran."

LivingSocial lets anyone find restaurants, shops, activities and services popular in their area, at a significant savings. The company has dedicated area experts on the ground in every market working directly with business owners and constantly researching the best in local attractions to bring a savings of 50% to 70% for consumers.

If you are a business owner and would like to learn more about creating Deals on a unique experience for customers, please visit: http://livingsocial.com/getfeatured. Additionally, if you'd like to know more about how LivingSocial works with local merchants and what they are saying about the company, please check out LivingSocial's "Merchant Bill of Rights": http://livingsocial.com/merchantrights.  

About LivingSocial

LivingSocial is the online source for people to find handpicked experiences at a great value, inviting anyone to save up to 50% to 70% each day on their favorite restaurants, spas, sporting events, hotels and other local attractions in major markets. LivingSocial has an extensive subscriber base of 10 million, and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. To sign up for Deals in your market, or to find out more information about LivingSocial, visit www.livingsocial.com. You can also follow LivingSocial on Twitter at www.twitter.com/livingsocial.

SOURCE LivingSocial