Shopping comparison site Kelkoo has today launched into the group buying market with its new upmarket Kelkoo Select service.
The site starts out by offering registered customers daily deals in the London area. Within its first year of operation it expects to launch in other UK and European cities.
It is targeting the luxury shopping market and its offers will include tickets to West End premières, tables at top London restaurants, deals for adventure days and gifts.
Jon Miller, previously chief operating officer at uSwitch.com, is managing director. He said: “The launch of Kelkoo Select provides an exciting opportunity for the business to develop a more localised and customer-centric, as well as helping to establish Kelkoo as a leader in the online shopping space.
“Our mission is for Kelkoo Select to make those indulgences in life that seem beyond our means and out of our reach affordable and accessible for all.”
Also on the 12-strong team behind the launch are Mark Bower, former lifestyle director at Lastminute.com and Barry Holloway, who was marketing director at eHarmony.
The move puts Kelkoo in competition with group buying services, most notably Groupon. But, says Miller, it’s “vital we differentiate ourselves from our competitors” in a “crowded market”.
He added: “Kelkoo Select will offer a premium customer experience with the best quality offers and a focus on both products and services. We want every offer to be tested and rated by real people before going live to our wider customer base. Our goal is to foster long-term relationships with our customers and merchants and in doing this we believe we can raise the bar in the daily-deals market and over the long-term build a deep understanding of our customers in order to provide increasingly relevant and tailored offers.”
Richard Stables, CEO of Kelkoo, said: “We are committed to continually evolving the Kelkoo brand through innovation, and adapt our business accordingly to fit with the changing ways in which consumers shop online. We want to offer our users compelling services that set us apart from the rest of the market. Kelkoo Select is another example of just that.”
