Resident Highlights Local Merchants Through Daily Deal Site

It’s hard to resist a good deal.

Sale-savvy consumers have propelled online daily deal sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial into multi-million-dollar businesses by snatching up discounts to various merchants that these Internet-based companies promote.

Teaneck resident David Siegel has tapped into the success of this business model with the launch of his own daily deal site called KosherKouponz.

“I just thought it’d be a great idea to apply it to the Jewish/Kosher market,” said Siegel, who has a background in sales and financial services.

Siegel assembled a team comprised of sales people and administrative staff and partnered with a Jewish photo sharing site called OnlySimchas.com.

“OnlySimchas has been around for a while, and they have a very large following,” Siegel said. “So, I tapped into their expertise as an Internet-based company. They were very helpful in our launch.”

CUSTOMERS EMBRACE KOUPONZ

KosherKouponz posted its first deal in December and targets consumers via five tabs on its website: New Jersey, Brooklyn, NYC/Bronx, Queens/5 Towns and Los Angeles.

Within three months of their December launch, more than 10,000 people subscribed to KosherKouponz's email list, and the company made more than $200,000 in sales.

“Last month we grew our database of emails by about 40 percent, and part of that’s due to the L.A. launch, and part of that’s due to other things we’ve been doing,” Siegel said. “Sales are up.”

Siegel said his company recently posted a successful promotion in which $40,000 in sales was made.

The company, which works out of an office in Paramus, has featured various Teaneck merchants, such as , , and .

Debbie Siegler is co-owner of , which has locations in Teaneck and Manhattan.

“We're the first Glatt Kosher meat Indian restaurant in the United States,” she said.

Siegler said both of her Shalom Bombay locations were promoted on KosherKouponz -- one in February and the other in May. Both deals allowed customers to get $40 worth of food for $20.

She said she heard about KosherKouponz from a friend, and when she was just about to contact Siegel, he reached out to her himself.

“It was kind of a mutual meeting,” Siegler said. “David is very easy to work with, and he left it up to me to determine any restrictions with the coupon.”

Siegler said the response from the promotion has been overwhelming.

“People came into the restaurant immediately after the deal ended, while others came in later,” she said. “It's been such a positive experience that we've discussed doing it again.”

DEALS FOR EVERYONE

Siegel said that while his target market is the kosher community, anyone can benefit from the daily deals.

“What we offer is beneficial to any consumer,” he said. “And the non-kosher consumer, if they’re getting a discount of 50 percent, then it’s worth it for them to try it out.”

Resturants featured on KosherKouponz need to have kosher certification, and the company consults with a rabbi if there are any questions. Siegel said some restaurants have been turned away for not having certifications that meet the requirements of the orthodox community.

“The core market is the kosher community, and we try to find merchants who are serving that community, whether it’s food or non-food,” Siegel said. “We’re currently offering a deal on taxi service, and we've done hair salons and an entertainment venue. We also periodically promote a charity that ties in with various Jewish holidays or times when you traditionally would give to charities.”

SMALL BUSINESSES GET A LIFT

Siegel said other daily deal-site companies do well with Jewish-oriented promotions because any shopper would like a 50 percent discount on goods and services. But, with KosherKouponz, local merchants in Teaneck, Englewood and Fair Lawn benefit from publicity they may not otherwise get.

“There are local, smaller businesses that we try to highlight, and these are businesses that would never be given the opportunity from a Groupon-type of a company,” Siegel said. “We try to highlight smaller businesses that can benefit from the exposure to our list, and so consumers can learn about these companies that are providing services that they may not know about.”

Future plans for the company include expanding into new areas, such as West Orange and Livingston, and giving North Jersey and Central Jersey their own tabs on the website. The company also will offer a “Customer Appreciation Day” in which members have a chance to win free coupons.

Coming up with a new deal every day can be tough, Siegel said, but he's confident his sales team will locate merchants who offer “good, quality deals.”

“We stand by what we put out there,” he said. “Any new business has its challenges, but it’s exciting. We’re growing, and people seem to really love us. And, we’re very happy with the results.”