In the vein of Groupon, LivingSocial offers daily deals that users can easily share with friends and family. Rather than scooped from the random deal bargain bin, each offer is researched and handpicked by the LivingSocial team. The company puts a personal approach on its deals, with members of its team of 3,900 employees located in every city deals are offered.
Proof of its platform can be found in the fact that the LivingSocial is now the fastest growing in the social-buying category, according to the company’s own claims.
The social-buying platform spreads its popularity by appealing to users wallets. If a user shares a deal with friends and at least three opt in, the user gets the deal for free.
The company counts more than 34 million members in the US, and more than 46 million globally, with services spread through 25 countries on six of the seven continents. More than 22 million vouchers have been bought worldwide, including 497,000 room nights booked through LivingSocial Escapes.
LivingSocial has also developed categories for a variety of packages, including LivingSocial Families, LivingSocial Escapes, LivingSocial Adventures, and LivingSocial Gifts. More than 497,000 room nights have been booked through LivingSocial Escapes.
The company’s CEO and Co-founder Tim O’Shaughnessy previously led the consumer products team at Revolution Health and managed product launches at AOL. Its CIO and Co-founder Val Aleksenko previously led a team of developers at France Telecom and helped launch Revolution Health. Its CTO and President Aaron Batalion previously was Architect at Revolution Health, and led development for Blockbuster’s Online Subscription effort. Its President and Co-founder Eddie Frederick designed and built product prototypes and platform infrastructure at Revolution Health.