Groupon has officially suspended all operations in South Africa as it prepares to exit numerous countries to achieve a ‘streamlined country footprint’.
Groupon is officially gone; the worldwide marketplace through which many South African consumers have bought online specials has now officially exited the company.
The move comes amidst the company’s recent announcement that it is preparing to exit numerous countries to achieve a “œstreamlined country footprint“ – in essence, the firm has elected to abandon twelve nations from the twenty-seven listed in its portfolio in 2016.
Read: Groupon takes a dig at Amazon, DHL with parody video
The company has offered a full statement on its decision to abandon the South African market, which can be read below:
We are sorry to inform you that as of 4 November 2016, Groupon has wound down its operations in South Africa and we are unable to offer you any deals today.
For our customers, this means we will stop offering deals on our website from tonight. All current vouchers bought will remain valid until the date stated on the voucher. The terms and conditions on the voucher remain the same.
For any customers who are uncomfortable with using their voucher, we are offering a cash refund option if they contact us before 30 Nov 2016.
Goods purchased up to 4 November will be fulfilled. Should you need to return a Goods item you purchased, please do such before 30 November.
We are sorry not to be able to offer you any great deals today but thank you for your interest in Groupon.
Groupon South Africa has announced that consumers with valid Groupon vouchers can calim a cash refund or opt to use the voucher while it remains valid. Goods can be returned before the 30th of November (2016), while orders placed up until the today (the 4th of November) will be processed as normal.
The firm has already proceeded to disable its online presences – while its website clearly advertises that Groupon South Africa is no more, the company has already deleted its Twitter account – formerly available at the handle @Groupon_ZA.
While Groupon might be gone, a number of alternatives do exist. We recently reviewed The Entertainer to find it as one of our new favourite platforms for discovering great deals.
Read: The Entertainer Review: Is the R500 app worth it?
What are your thoughts? Did you ever use Groupon in South Africa? What alternative do you prefer? Be sure to let us know your opinion in the comments below!
Follow Bryan Smith on Twitter: @bryansmithSA
