Groupon Inc (NASDAQ:GRPN) is known for offering a wide range of deals, but not many would have thought the company would be selling tickets for the high-profile Duke-UConn game on Thursday in an arena with seating for 19,000 spectators. The Duke-UConn game will be held at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. It is tough to find audiences for the stadium, so Groupon was chosen to sell tickets for the game.
Why such low popularity?
An interesting fact is that the two teams, one the defending national champion and the other the number two team in the country, jointly cannot gather 19,000 fans even for the game. One probable reason for the low popularity of the game could be its timing, as the game is scheduled for Thursday, and it is just a week before Christmas. But even this does not serve as a potential reason, since in the Big Apple there are 11,000 alumni of Duke, and UConn also has a dominant fanbase in NYC, as they bought a NYC domain to troll Syracuse fans last month, says a report from Sporting News.
Another reason cited for the low ticket sales is the location of the arena in the Meadowlands. The area lacks public transportation access, hence, only those with personal vehicles can drive down there. UConn fans based at Storrs need to deal with the evening traffic because it is the time for offices to close, putting a lot of people on the roads.
Groupon sold 80 tickets
The upper-level seats were originally priced at $80, and they were offered for less than half that price by the online discount retailer. Up to eight tickets could be bought by each fan, and around 80 people purchased tickets from Groupon for the Thursday game, according to the company. The deal is not available on the site anymore.
Separately, the site is doing well in India and has some amazing offers for Indians. For example, sailing is something not everybody can afford in India. With Groupon, numerous people can make this dream come true, as it offers heavy discounts that make sailing very affordable. Groupon is offering deals starting at Rs. 499 (approx. $8-$9), according to Ankur Warikoo, CEO of Groupon India. The price is per head and is inclusive of all taxes.
