Descuento Libre, A Deal Service Especially For Latinos

Descuento Libre is a new daily deals site that is totally and wholly focused on Latino customers. The service launched last fall in Mexico City, and has since launched in Chicago and Austin, Texas, with San Antonio soon to follow. Essentially the service’s focus on Latinos shows in the types of deals offered — while you may not see skydiving packages you will see children’s summer camp or dentist discounts for example — and the business model, which requires much more face-to-face conversation with vendors than other deal services, said Boris Portman, Descuento Libre co-founder and CTO.

“Just 3% of the social deals traffic is by Hispanics and Latinos,” Portman told News Taco. “The deals we offer are much more family-oriented, about relevant entertainment, relevant restaurants. They’re about the daily things that they’re already going to do.”

Calling cards to Mexico, Maná concerts, discounts on dentists or sweet bread, these are the types of deals one sees when visiting Descuento Libre. Portman told News Taco that the bilingual site has made good use of Facebook and Twitter, and hopes to grow in the area of mobile in the future. In another difference between mainstream deal sites and Descuento Libre, Portman pointed out that one way the company spread the word about its products is via Spanish language radio, the hosts on those shows, as well as non-profits and other Latino community organizations.

While the current customer demographic for Descuento Libre tends to be both immigrants and assimilated, middle class Latinos, Portman told us that the conversion rate from one-time deal buyers into loyal customers is much higher for Latinos than for other social buyers.

As a potential customer, I really enjoyed Descuento Libre’s site because it’s easy to use and navigate, share with friends, and purchase. It will be interesting to see how companies like Descuento Libre flourish in the future, given the growing Latino population and consumer market.

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD

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