Groupon announced a renewed vision for its South African business which will be led by two of the business’ founding CEOs, Daniel Guasco and Wayne Gosling.

Groupon South Africa, one of South Africa’s leading local commerce sites, has become a popular destination to buy experiences, goods and getaways since 2010. With a renewed business model and marketing strategy, Groupon has set a path to fulfil its vision of becoming a true online marketplace.

“Our strategy is one that sees Groupon South Africa moving from a business that creates demand, to a demand fulfilment business,” said Daniel Guasco, Groupon South Africa Co-CEO. “We need to connect local commerce to increase consumer buying power and drive more business to local merchants through price and discovery. By building a daily habit for local commerce, we will strengthen our position as the leading online marketplace in South Africa, a place where people can discover amazing things to eat, see, do and buy in their neighbourhood.”

In order to achieve this, Groupon South Africa is implementing three strategies designed to accelerate business growth:

1. Streamline business – Measures will be taken to further simplify and streamline operations. Business plans and processes will be aligned to the company’s best performing markets in South Africa in order to improve execution and productivity.

2. Evolve marketing strategy – There will be a core focus and increased investment in marketing to secure new customers and encourage existing ones to spend more.

3. Expand the marketplace – Groupon South Africa will continue to invest in new products and improve the quantity and quality of its supply in order to improve the experience for our customers.

With these changes, Groupon South Africa aims to set itself on a path of projected growth. As part of a global organisation, Groupon South Africa has helped Groupon, Inc., its parent company, sell more than 900 million units to date to its customers around the world. At the heart of Groupon’s global business is its mobile app, which has been downloaded by more than 120 million people worldwide. Mobile accounts for more than 55% of Groupon’s transactions globally.

“As we shift towards a marketplace business model, growing our inventory is key to success. By offering our customers a broader selection of products in conjunction with increased web and mobile search functionality, we aim to drive more customers to check Groupon first,” said Wayne Gosling, Groupon South Africa Co-CEO.