There's been a lot of talk about Groupon lately in advance of its Initial Public Offering (IPO). This recent post by Felix Salmon on "Grouponomics" led me to think about how small businesses who use Groupon are prime examples of the need for some form of business intelligence. Small businesses have a reputation of being run by people who are very good at making pizza, driving limos, or frosting cupcakes.
1. How Grouponomics is used to smooth out demand cycles: