Google this week quietly kicked off a beta test of its deals feature, allowing users in Portland, New York, and San Francisco to sign up for upcoming deals.
"Dear PDX friends, Google Offers is now beta in YOUR city. Sign up!" Google's Chris Messina tweeted today. In a later tweet, he clarified that only the sign-up option is live at the moment; offers will come later, starting in Portland and then moving to New York and the Bay Area.
Google Offers provides discounts up to 50 percent off at various retailers, according to the sign-up site. You can now sign up for alerts for upcoming Offers in uptown, downtown, and midtown New York City, San Francisco, Oakland/East Bay, and Portland.
Google provided few details about what type of deals it will be offering. A video for Offers (below) suggests that it will run the gamut from food and clothing to spa treatments and outings; much like competing services from Groupon, LivingSocial, and others.
"It is coming. The possibilities are mind-numbing," the video says.
Rumors about a Groupon competitor from Google first emerged in January when Mashable published a Google Offers fact sheet it had received from a source.
"Google Offers is a new product to help potential customers and clientele find great deals in their area through a daily email," the fact sheet read. Google Offers will likely offer daily deals - pay $25 for $50 worth of food at a nearby restaurant, for example - that are activated once enough people buy into the offer. Mashable said the service will run via Google Checkout and include social-networking options via Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz, and email.
All of this comes after Google reportedly tried unsuccessfully to acquire Groupon last year. The Groupon price tag apparently reached almost $6 billion before talks fell apart in December. In January, Groupon chief executive Andrew Mason said he's mulling an IPO this year, but the company hasn't yet made up its mind.
Deal sites, meanwhile, are all the rage. Last month, the New York Times launched a high-end Groupon-esque service called TimesLimited, and there were reports that Facebook was prepping a spinoff of the formal Deals offering it launched in November. Last year, meanwhile, Yahoo invested $175 million in Groupon rival LivingSocial.
Also this week, Gap and Visa teamed up to offer text-based discounts. Those who enter their mobile phone and Visa card numbers will get exclusive deals via text. The retailers promised to send no more than two a week.
Editor's Note: This story was updated at 4pm Eastern.