Daily deal players join fledgling trade body

Travelzoo, DiscountVouchers and Time Out are among the first companies to join fledgling trade body, the Global Daily Deal Association.

Others signing up include Mumsandme in the UK, as well as Ohmydeal.fr, deindeal.ch, dailydeal.de, Sweetdeal, Groupesales.de, Redeem and Get, Dealgecco.com and Bownty across Europe.

The new trade association body has been established to bring together daily deal providers from across the world to collaborate on industry initiatives and standardise approaches.

The first task is to develop a voluntary code of conduct which all members will be expected to adhere to.

It will also work to produce industry reports and co-ordinate conferences and networking events for members to share best practice.

Director Stavros Prodromou said: “I am delighted to welcome such key industry players as the first members of the GDDA.

“This is a fast-paced industry that until now has been very disparate. By signing up to the GDDA our first members have demonstrated their commitment to building an accountable and sustainable industry.

“We all know there are many issues facing the daily deal industry, and our members are committed to working together to find common solutions.”

Melanie Bower, vice-president and general manager, Travelzoo Local Deals in Europe said: “Whilst we are not a daily deals company, we were one of the first companies to champion the deal space when we were founded in 1998.

“The past two years have seen an explosion of emerging businesses, and a new industry has been created around vouchers and flash sales.

“At Travelzoo we have always followed a strict code of practice to protect our subscribers who trust us to find the best deals – and we only work with companies we believe will provide our subscribers an outstanding experience.

“The industry is now in need of a structure where all companies will be compelled to offer a standard of service that is fair to both supplier and consumer and will enable all parties to benefit from the opportunities this industry presents.

“We hope to work with the Global Daily Deals Association to help establish this code of conduct we feel is essential and long overdue.”

Daily deals have had a huge impact on consumer spending habits since they took off just two years ago, with consumers spending nearly £300 million on daily deal sites in the UK in the second half of 2011.