Fledgling Cincy deal sites combine, form revamped YoDeal

Three Greater Cincinnati websites devoted to partnering with local business to offer group discount deals have merged to form a revamped version of  YoDeal.

YoDeal relaunched on Nov. 15 with a coupon for $10 dollars worth of bagels for $5 at Marx Hot Bagels in Blue Ash. The site sold 702 coupons, said YoDeal founder Keith Kollstedt.

YoDeal went dark in early August. It was one of several new sites that have popped up in Cincinnati in the last year offering discounts for products and services at local business, generally at 50 percent off or more. The sites all relied on group buying, and the deals were available only after a certain number of people purchased them.

The assets of the new site have been purchased by Blue Ash-based Reach USA, a multimedia direct marketing company that produces the Valpack, Reach magazine and other marketing and coupon products. Reach also rolled in the assets of deal site WouldURather, which is no longer online.

Reach briefly ran its own group purchasing site, ereach Big Deal of the Day, which has been temporarily suspended, said Kollstred who now works with a 10-person digital sales team in Blue Ash.  

This new arrangement makes the locally founded YoDeal more sustainable, Kollstedt said.

"Reach offers a solid foundation and is a well-known name in the city and the country. This also gives us access to Reach's full media suite," he said.

While YoDeal's ownership has changed, so has the site itself.  

"We have actually changed the look and feel of this site to make it more crisp. We're trying to define it as a more premium site, and our deals (will reflect that). We'll be offering deals for the area's premium spas, restaurants and activities," Kollstedt said.

The site has kept its commitment to nonprofits as well. Up to 10 percent of purchases each week goes to a local nonprofit organization.

"I think we are in the position where we need to be. We're with a well-established company and we are a little different from sites like Groupon and Living Social because of our relationship with charities. That opens up a lot of different avenues for us as far as the businesses we work with and the individuals who buy from us," Kollstedt said.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: YoDeal founder Keith Kollstedt

You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites