AOL announced it will soon launch, as TechCrunch calls it, the “500th Groupon clone.” The daily deals site Wow.com will feature deep discounts from local and national merchants which users can buy.
But one clear advantage here is distribution, especially on the local front. While AOL has made no such announcement, we expect Wow.com deals will be promoted on Patch’s network of hyperlocal sites. And you can imagine that Patch’s sales team will add it in their toolbox.
That said, it’s an extremely competitive space right now, and Groupon and LivingSocial have a big head start. But if Wow starts gaining some traction, you could see how it could give Patch’s sales folks a new lever in competing with independent hyperlocal sites.
