Google Offers, Groupon’s newest rival among many, has launched in Portland, Oregon today. The question is, what’s the difference between this and all of the other daily deals services? It’s hard to tell. It doesn’t look like they’re focusing on a certain kind deal, or being particularly picky in the vendors they work with. But, it’s Google. The first recognizable name to the late adopters. And if they decide to incorporate Google Offers within Google search engine results, that’s a great way to help get these going.
Google Offers is looking to expand to New York City and San Francisco next, and then spread out across the country after that. Does a slower launch mean a smarter launch? Well, they’ve integrated with location-based services like FourSquare and Loopt to help publicize their deals. So, we’ll see who’s still standing next year.