The New York Times wants in on the daily deal business, but in its own way.
TimesLimited, launched by the paper in late March, "is dedicated to bringing its subscribers access to unique products and experiences." Nowhere is there a mention of the deals typically played up by Groupon, LivingSocial and others. While offers are for a limited time and involve limited quantities, there are no numbers used to tell consumers how much they are saving.
Offers on the site yesterday included a caviar party for four from Paramount Caviar at a price of $460. The deal did not play up savings. In fact, there was no mention on the page as to how much consumers would save by taking advantage of the deal. Paramount Caviar, according to its website, is "a major distributor of caviar" in the U.S. and has been awarded "two Gold Medals for product consistency and quality" by Chefs in America.
According to a report on the Advertising Age website, only one of the deals offered on TimesLimited have sold out so far.
A spokesperson for the Times, told Ad Age, "I can tell you that we are pleased with the performance of our initial offers and the growing interest shown by advertisers."