One of the biggest growing trends in small businesses is the use of online coupons to attract new customers.
Many experts in the field of internet advertising see the field as one of the most important advents to the way entrepreneurs get their business out. Among the top platforms for distributing these coupons is a site called Groupon. The site, which is used by many small businesses to offer one-day deals, was recently offered $6 billion by internet search engine giant Google, a deal which the company has yet to accept.
And though it's a great way to get people in the door, many have found that it does not necessarily equal higher profits.
"You don't really make money off it," cautions Jacqui MacNeill, founder of Escents, a successful Vancouver-based company that makes and sells naturally scented personal products, in an interview with CBC, "I'd say it's revenue-neutral. It's more about customer acquisition."
The internet has forever changed the way that people conduct business. By offering people deals online, small business owners in Canada and throughout the world get a leg up on competition.
