One Year Into the Pandemic, Groupon Study Shows People Are Ready for JODO (Joy of Doing the Ordinary)

• According to a new Groupon survey 75% of Americans are ‘So #@$%ing Ready’ for ordinary moments to return
• Good news for small businesses as nearly 60% of those surveyed are more inclined to support local merchants than they were prior to the pandemic
• Groupon giving away $150,000 to encourage consumers to shop locally and awarding $100,000 to small businesses

As COVID-19 restrictions continue to lift nationwide, experiences marketplace Groupon today announced the launch of its ‘So #@$%ing Ready’ campaign, a four-week initiative aimed at helping consumers go from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) to JODO (Joy of Doing the Ordinary). Throughout the month-long campaign, Groupon will be supporting local merchants by connecting them with consumers who are looking to get back to some sense of normalcy by taking on new experiences or engaging in routine activities offered by their favorite neighborhood small businesses.

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As COVID-19 restrictions continue to lift, a new Groupon survey shows 75% of Americans are 'So #@$%ing Ready' for the ordinary moments to return. (Graphic: Business Wire).

To help merchants [across America] serve up the local experiences Americans are most eager to do post-COVID-19, Groupon surveyed more than 2,000 people across the U.S. Activities that bring friends and family together topped the list. In fact, Groupon has found that 71% of Americans are ‘So #@$%ing Ready’ to get back to their everyday lives. Another 74% said they will never take ordinary experiences such as eating at a restaurant, getting a haircut outside of their garage, going to the movies or taking a group fitness class for granted ever again. And this bodes well for local economies as nearly 60% of total respondents said they are more inclined to support small businesses than they were prior to the pandemic.

To provide some JODO inspiration, Groupon uncovered the top-25 activities that people plan to do as soon as restrictions ease and things begin to return to normal. The experiences people are excited about vary from the unique and daring to the simple and everyday.

Once pandemic restrictions have been fully lifted in their area, here’s what respondents are ‘So #@$%ing Ready’ to do first:

• Hugging friends and family (41%)
• Trying a new restaurant (33%)
• Going to the movies (32%)
• Experiencing the holidays as a big family (29%)
• Seeing people’s faces in public (28%)
• Hanging out with more than six people (26%)
• Staying at a hotel or resort (26%)
• Going to brunch with friends (23%)
• Traveling across the country to see family (23%)
• Attending a concert (20%)

Other interesting survey findings included: women are more likely than men (31% vs. 11%) to return to clothes shopping, while men are slightly more likely than women (16% vs. 14%) to be excited about sipping cocktails at the bar. Three percent of survey respondents said they’re excited to fly in a helicopter. And heartbreakingly, and perhaps indicative of the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on older Americans, 45% of respondents ages 60 and above said they are most looking forward to hugging their loved ones.

“From economic hardship to emotional distress, we have all felt the weight of the past year, and the lives of so many have profoundly changed forever,” said Brian Fields, Chief Commercial Officer at Groupon. “These days, we are finding joy in doing the ordinary as we march toward normalcy. As more people become vaccinated and restrictions are responsibly lifted, we know that people are ready to get back to life. From everyday joy to extraordinary adventures, we want to help consumers find amazing experiences at local merchants eager to begin rebuilding their businesses. While the economy is showing some early signs of recovery, our ‘So #@$%ing Ready’ campaign is about embracing the future and celebrating life, while creating unprecedented opportunities for consumers to re-engage with and support local businesses.”

Each week, the campaign will highlight a unique category available in Groupon’s experiences marketplace: Self-Care, Things To Do, Food & Drink and Outdoor Adventures. As part of the campaign, Groupon will be giving away $150,000 in sweepstakes prizes* to encourage consumers to connect with local merchants. In addition, Groupon will give away $100,000 to small businesses** to help them with their most pressing needs, including making ends meet, hiring more people or expanding their business.

To enter the sweepstakes, consumers are required to complete a weekly survey beginning on April 12 to rank what activities or services related to each week’s theme they’re so #@$%ing ready to get back to doing. Consumers can enter once per week to be entered for a chance to win one of the 25 weekly prizes as well as the $100,000 cash grand prize. Additionally, after entering, consumers will be emailed a unique link to share with their friends, enabling them to earn bonus entries for referrals who complete the survey.***

To nominate a business for a chance to win one of the 10 prizes of $10,000 that Groupon is giving away to small businesses, consumers are asked to comment on the giveaway’s Facebook post or create an Instagram or Twitter post, tagging @Groupon and a local business they are #SoBleepingReady to start frequenting again and sharing what they love about the business. Consumers must also include the hashtags #SoBleepingReady and #Giveaway in the Instagram or Twitter post for the business they’re nominating to be eligible to win.

For more information about the ‘So #@$%ing Ready’ campaign and to shop participating businesses, visit gr.pn/SoBleepingReady.

*Consumer Sweepstakes: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Odds of winning depend on the total number of entries received. Void where prohibited. Open only to legal residents of the fifty United States or District of Columbia, who are 18 years of age or older at time of entry. The Groupon So Bleeping Ready Sweepstakes begins at 12:00:00 AM ET on 4/12/21 and ends at 11:59:59 PM ET on 5/9/21. Sponsored by Groupon, Inc. For complete details, see Official Rules at grouponrules.dja.com.

**Small Business Giveaway: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE THE CHANCES OF WINNING. Void where prohibited. The So Bleeping Ready Small Business Giveaway begins 12:00 AM ET on 4/12/21 and ends 11:59 PM ET on 5/9/21. The nomination portion of the promotion is open to legal residents of the U.S./DC, 18+ or age of majority. Limit one nomination of a Small Business per person. Small Businesses must have one hundred (100) or fewer employees, be at least 51% owned by one or more individuals rather than another business entity, be located in the 50 U.S./DC and meet all eligibility requirements as further specified in the Official Rules. The Sponsor of the promotion is Groupon, Inc., 600 W. Chicago Ave. Ste. 400, Chicago, IL 60654. For complete details, see Official Rules at merchantrules.dja.com.

*** Bonus entries are limited to 5 each week for the weekly prize drawings and 5 each week for the Grand Prize drawing.

About Groupon:

Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) is an experiences marketplace where consumers discover fun things to do and local businesses thrive. For our customers, this means giving them an amazing selection of experiences at great values. For our merchants, this means making it easy for them to partner with Groupon and reach millions of consumers around the world.

For more information about the campaign, including an infographic, media assets and available interview opportunities, please visit here.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210412005680/en/