Marquette alumni launches daily deal site with a local focus

Richie Burke, recent Marquette University graduate and son of Trek Bicycle, chief executive officer John Burke, recently launched GoGeddit.com; a daily deal site with a local and a philanthropic twist.
Burke has partnered with another Marquette alumni, Jeremy Bemis and a current Marquette student, Crystal Schreiner on the business. The website was launched in September.
“Our initial launch was a little slower than we expected, but after about four weeks we’re up to approximately 2500 subscribers and that number is growing,” Burke said.
According to Burke, GoGeddit.com is different from other daily deal sites in that deals are categorized in ways that provide experiences rather than just discounts, he said.
“Our goal is to categorize deals that complement each other into groups,” he said. “That means we might do a “Third Ward Excursion” or a couple’s date night with dinner and show tickets or something like that. Our goal is to make it easy for consumers to plan the perfect evening or day out.”
Businesses who sign up for deals on GoGeddit also receive 70 percent of the cut, Burke said.
According to Burke, that is a larger percentage than most other deal websites.
“After we give the businesses their cut we give one percent of every purchase to the MACC Fund and also cover credit card transaction fees for the business as well,” he said. “There is little to no risk for businesses to work with us. It’s free marketing and advertising for them and it’s guaranteed to get people in the door.”
Businesses have complete control over their deals, Burke said. The company can control the pricing, the deal, and the expiration dates.
Since September, GoGeddit.com has featured deals from Discovery World, Blackthorn Pub, Crisp, Berry Me, Luci, White Star, Comedy Sportz, National Liquor, Broken Yolk, New Berlin Hills. The site is currently featuring deals from MetCalfe’s groceries and florists, and Mo’s Irish Pub’s Hellevate Halloween Party.
“We’re committed to working with local businesses,” Burke said. “We wanted to offer local retailers a friendly local alternative to some of the other options out there. Our business model has the flexibility to do that.”
GoGeddit currently operates in Madison and Milwaukee. For more information, or to sign up visit www.GoGeddit.com.