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Groupon acquires Pelago, maker of the check-in service Whrrl

By: , IntoMobile
Thursday, April 21st, 2011 at 2:14 AM

Groupon has acquired Pelago, maker of location-based social network Whrrl, which is one of the companies that got the money from the iFund.

Whrrl has been used by companies looking to build loyalty and repeat visits. Previously we reported that USA WEEKEND Magazine and Pelago teamed-up to launch a mobile shopper marketing program to give the magazine’s advertisers the opportunity to connect with smartphone users in-home and as they shop in-store.

It is unclear what Groupon will use Whrrl for, but one could imagine Groupon taking advantage of the technology to spice-up its mobile offering, adding check-in capability to its smartphone apps. As a result, participating local business could benefit from extra exposure made possible with social local recommendations.

Existing Whrrl users will be able to continue using the service normally through April 30. In the meantime, the website will have an option to retrieve your data – pretty much everything you ever put into Whrrl.

I love Groupon and I’m definitely looking forward to see what they could make out of Whrrl. Any ideas? Comments form is all yours.

[Via: Pelago]

About The Author

Dusan Belic

Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_NKQ7WXNMZIYQZYYE6M3VOURNFE megamelfina

    I think this acquisition shows how much Groupon is willing to do in order to keep the number one daily deal spot. They are really competing with other sites out there.

    Another great site to use is http://www.dailydealpool.com. They will compile a list of the best sales and deals in your area and send them to your email inbox daily, giving you access to the greatest buys and keeping you in the know about local businesses!