Groupon Launches in Fairfield County

Forget clipping coupons. Now Wiltonians can simply click them.

Fairfield County has a new source of daily deals in what is becoming a competitive market. Groupon, the biggest of the daily deal websites that offers gift cards for local restaurants, stores and services, went live in Fairfield County on Monday.

For its second-ever deal in the area, $30 worth of goods from Gilbertie's Herb Gardens can be had for only $15. The company  offers daily coupons in 250 markets throughout the world. Local businesses pay a fee to Groupon, who then sells the deals. It's sometimes a loss for the business, but the idea is to attract new customers and get them hooked. Its competitors operate in a similar manner. Every day the deal changes.

The daily online deal has turned into a multi-million dollar industry, and it's become increasingly competitive.

While Groupon is the biggest of the daily coupon companies with revenues of more than $300 million, it faces established competition.  A pair of Westporters brought daily deals to southern Connecticut through the Washington D.C.-based. Livingsocial.com during the summer. The latest deal offers five fitness class at a gym in New Haven for only $25 - a 67 percent savings.

What Groupon's launch means for Living Social remains to be seen, but consumers could possibly reap the benefits of an online turf war.