Yelp Brings Local Deals To Mobile And Gives Groupon Now A Run For Its Money

The next phase of growth for local deals will be mobile. Groupon knows this , and so does Yelp, which today is rolling out Yelp Deals to its iPhone and Android apps. An update to its mobile apps that is getting pushed out today will add a new deals icon to the app. When you click on it you can see a list of nearby Yelp Deals for discounts at restaurants, spas, and other businesses. (These are in addition to Yelp Special Offers and Check-In Offers, which already appear on mobile). With Yelp Deals on mobile, you can search for nearby deals when you are walking around, and they are instantly redeemable. You get a redemption code that you can show the merchant right from your mobile phone. This is similar to what Groupon is trying to do with its Groupon Now mobile app, which is only available in a handful of cities (fewer than Yelp Mobile has out of the gate).