Signpost Platform Puts Merchants in Control of Deals

NEW YORK, Feb. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Signpost, the community-driven deal site, unveiled the Signpost Merchant Center, a self-service tool to help local businesses create and distribute pre-paid offers in real-time.  The platform addresses the needs of local businesses to maximize capacity and create loyal customers.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110216/NY48937 )

"Our model is different from the daily deal companies. We are focused on giving merchants the freedom and flexibility to set their own terms and create offers that maximize traffic during times when sales are typically slow," said Stuart Wall, Signpost CEO. "By also enabling merchants to run recurring offers, we help small businesses develop a reliable customer base."

Through February 24, merchants are invited to use the Signpost Merchant Center free of charge. After this period, Signpost's Merchant Center will cost 50 percent less than the daily deal sites, a stark departure from fee structures that benefit deal sites more than retailers.

The Signpost Merchant Center offers:

• Repeat business: Signpost targets customers in a merchant's neighborhood who have already expressed a preference for similar businesses. The result: repeat customers who share their experiences with others.
• More customer interaction: Merchants can send messages directly to customers and create recurring offers.
• More profit: Signpost's fees to post and market deals are much lower than Groupon-like clones because the self-service approach helps eliminates the cost of a large sales force.  

"Signpost is a great long-term marketing tool for my business," said Marc Matyas, owner of Nolita House, a neighborhood restaurant in New York City. "Signpost let me set the number of items I wanted to sell, when I wanted to sell them, and when I wanted buyers to visit my store. Customers came in as early as the day the sale started and came back after the deal was over."

Merchants are invited to sign up for an account at www.merchant.signpost.com.

About Signpost

Signpost is a community-driven social website that connects shoppers with deals that matter to them and helps merchants create relevant deals that they can market to the community. The site has received funding from Spark Capital, Google Ventures and angel investors. Signpost deals are available in Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco.

SOURCE Signpost