Norway is usually a tough market for startups – prices for pretty much everything are through the roof compared to the rest of Europe. But CupoNation, a Rocket Internet-funded open coupon platform, will be hoping to tap into that very fact after its launch in the Scandinavian country.
CupoNation aggregates free coupons from partners and puts them on a single website which doesn’t require registration to use. It then takes a commission from the retailer on any sales. Current deals include the likes of e-commer giant Zalando, another company with strong ties to Rocket, and Norwegian digital content site Platekampaniet.
According to the release announcing the launch, CupoNation offers deals on electronics, fashion, travel, literature and more, and it may well find success in some areas as bargain-hungry Norwegian latch on. Amidst all the controversy and negativity surrounding the coupon space – and it’s worthwhile pointing out that it is a different model than the likes of Groupon – the company does seem to be enjoying some success, following the Rocket model of aggressive growth in secondary markets.
A spokeswoman told Silicon Allee: “Norway is a very interesting market, where we still see a high demand for discounts. … The Norwegian market has shown that the potential for vouchers is not exceeded yet.”
It’s worth bearing in mind, of course, that there are already plenty of people trying to do the same thing in Norway; sites such as Kupongkode.com, for example.
CupoNation is currently active in Brazil, India, Spain, Italy, Poland, France, Austria, Finland and Sweden, and country manager Thomas Romming said: “Although e-commerce is already very popular in Norway, most consumers are unaware of the significant discounts and coupons which are available at almost all major online stores. We at CupoNation want to change that and offer a platform where consumers can rapidly and reliably find the latest discounts and special offers.”