Groupon Offers Greater Value For Money Than Wowcher

Wowcher and Groupon are the online equivalent of high street retailers’ outlet stores, that basically allow them to showcase all of their unwanted stock that they just simply can’t shift – bit like that con of ‘Boxing Day Sales’ where companies just bring in the goods from their outlet stores and make out like they’ve slashed the prices on the pre-Christmas goodies.

Up and down the country, many of us would’ve opened up the envelope-shaped presents – the ones that represent your main present in the form of an exciting voucher – with many of these experiences coming from Groupon or Wowcher.

From spa days, to toiletries, to items you didn’t know existed – if you can’t find it on the two sites, then it probably hasn’t been invented yet – the range of items on offer is vast.

But as the saying goes ‘there’s no such thing as a free lunch’, so are the deals really all they’re cracked up to be? Or we just blinded by the crossed out ‘original’ prices, the bright lights and the falling percentage numbers?

Me: *needs warm clothes for winter*

Also me: “wow this bikini is $2 off its original price of $80, what a bargain, I’ll take it”

— Madds🖤 (@MaddyBeims) January 4, 2018

The most popular deals across Groupon and Wowcher tend to be the restaurant offers – three courses for X amount plus a cocktail (ignoring the fact no one ever likes the cocktails available) – but are Groupon and Wowcher just dressing up the less desirable locations in a colourful way?

TripAdvisor is the bible of the 21st century; whatever the feedback website showcases is taken as gospel – the very idea that your parents would base their hotel/restaurant booking on what Barbara, from York, aged 52, had to say on the quality of the cutlery is anyone’s guess, but that’s how it works.

For the finest dining in London, Groupon is the place to look, with the site, during the first week of January, offering three deals on London restaurants rated as 4.5-star on TripAdvisor – the deal currently on offer for Hip Chips, one of the 4.5-star rated eateries, works out as a discount of 68.18%.

The medium restaurant rating for Wowcher is the 3.5-star mark, whilst Groupon ups its game to four-star. However, it’s all very well offering a higher quality of restaurant, but if the offer isn’t a worthwhile discount, then customers won’t be enticed.

The biggest discount across the two sites is for Wowcher’s deal to eat at The Blue Eyed Maid, with a discount of 71.60%.

Overall, there’s not much in the two companies, with a slightly better level of restaurant on offer with Groupon, but the greater savings come via Wowcher – and, ultimately, saving money is the reason why such businesses as these two exist in the first place.

Is a 3.5(ish)-starred restaurant really worthy of a special night out? Probably not. But if you’re looking for a way to try out new places, without paying through the nose, then Groupon and Wowcher are great.

There’s a place for both in the market, however, they need to dial down the luxuriousness of the service they feel they’re offering with these restaurants they offer; they’re merely convenient and cheap but certainly nothing special.