Groupon Prospectus

8/3/2019 Groupon Prospectus

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29AUG201113210610

30,000,000 Shares

CLASS A COMMON STOCK

Groupon, Inc. is offering 30,000,000 shares of its Class A common stock. This is our initial public offeringand no public market currently exists for our shares. We anticipate that the initial public offering price ofour Class A common stock will be between $16.00 and $18.00 per share.

Following this offering, we will have two classes of outstanding common stock, Class A common stock and

Class B common stock. The rights of the holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock willbe identical, except with respect to voting and conversion. Each share of Class A common stock will beentitled to one vote per share. Each share of Class B common stock will be entitled to 150 votes per shareand will be convertible at any time into one share of Class A common stock. Outstanding shares of Class Bcommon stock will represent approximately 36.3% of the voting power of our outstanding capital stockfollowing this offering.

We have applied to list our Class A common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbolGRPN.

Investing in our Class A common stock involves risks. See Risk Factorsbeginning on page 11.

PRICE $ A SHARE

UnderwritingPrice to Discounts and Proceeds toPublic Commissions Groupon

Per Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ $ $Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ $ $

Groupon, Inc. has granted the underwriters the right to purchase up to an additional 4,500,000 sharesof Class A common stock to cover over-allotments.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and state securities regulators have not approved ordisapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation

to the contrary is a criminal offense.The underwriters expect to deliver the shares of Class A common stock to purchasers on ,2011.

MORGAN STANLEY GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO. CREDIT SUISSE

ALLEN & COMPANY LLC BofA MERRILL LYNCH BARCLAYS CAPITAL CITIGROUP

DEUTSCHE BANK SECURITIES J.P. MORGAN WELLS FARGO SECURITIES WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY

LOOP CAPITAL MARKETS RBC CAPITAL MARKETS THE WILLIAMS CAPITAL GROUP, L.P.

, 2011Theinformationinthispreliminary

prospectusisnotcompleteandmaybec

hanged.

Wemaynotsellthesesecurities

untiltheregistrationstatementfiledwiththeSecuritiesandExchange

Commissioniseffective.

Thisprelim

inaryprospectusisnotanoffertosellthese

securitiesandwearenotsolicitingoffersto

buythesesecuritiesinanystatewherethe

offerorsaleisnotpermitted. PROSPECTUS (Subject to Completion)

Issued October 21, 2011


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page Page

Prospectus Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Executive Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Risk Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Related Party Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . 122Letter from Andrew D. Mason . . . . . . . . 33 Principal Stockholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Description of Capital Stock . . . . . . . . . . 133Statements and Industry Data . . . . . . . 35 Material United States Federal TaxUse of Proceeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140Dividend Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Shares Eligible for Future Sale . . . . . . . . 146Capitalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Underwriting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Dilution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Legal Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155Selected Consolidated Financial and Experts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Other Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Where You Can Find AdditionalManagements Discussion and Analysis of Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Financial Condition and Results of Index to Consolidated FinancialOperations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-1

Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Appendix AEmail from the Chief Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Executive Officer of Groupon, Inc. . . . . A-1

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectusfiled with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Neither we nor the underwriters have authorizedanyone to provide you with additional or different information. We are offering to sell, and seeking offersto buy, our Class A common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. Theinformation in this prospectus or any free writing prospectus is accurate only as of its date, regardless of itstime of delivery or any sale of shares of our Class A common stock.

Until , 2011 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell ortrade shares of our Class A common stock, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required todeliver a prospectus. This delivery requirement is in addition to the obligation of dealers to deliver aprospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

For investors outside the United States: Neither we nor any of the underwriters have done anythingthat would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction whereaction for that purpose is required, other than the United States. You are required to inform yourselfabout and to observe any restrictions relating to the offering of the shares of Class A common stock andthe distribution of this prospectus outside of the United States.


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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus and does not contain all of theinformation you should consider in making your investment decision. Before investing in our Class A commonstock, you should carefully read this entire prospectus, including our consolidated financial statements and therelated notes and the information set forth under the headings Risk Factors and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, in each case included elsewhere in this

prospectus. Except where the context requires otherwise, in this prospectus the terms Company, Groupon,we, us and our refer to Groupon, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and where appropriate, its direct andindirect subsidiaries.

GROUPON, INC.

Groupon is a local e-commerce marketplace that connects merchants to consumers by offering goodsand services at a discount. Traditionally, local merchants have tried to reach consumers and generate salesthrough a variety of methods, including the yellow pages, direct mail, newspaper, radio, television andonline advertisements, promotions and the occasional guy dancing on a street corner in a gorilla suit. Bybringing the brick and mortar world of local commerce onto the internet, Groupon is creating a new wayfor local merchants to attract customers and sell goods and services. We provide consumers with savingsand help them discover what to do, eat, see and buy in the places where they live and work.

We started Groupon in October 2008 and believe the growth of our business demonstrates the powerof our solution and the size of our market opportunity:

We increased our revenue from $1.2 million in the second quarter of 2009 to $430.2 million in thethird quarter of 2011. We generated these revenues from gross billings of $3.3 million for the secondquarter of 2009 as compared to gross billings of $1,157.2 million for the third quarter of 2011. Wehad net income of $21,000 for the second quarter of 2009 as compared to a net loss of $10.6 millionfor the third quarter of 2011.

We expanded from five North American markets as of June 30, 2009 to 175 North Americanmarkets and 45 countries as of September 30, 2011. Revenue from our international and North American operations was $268.7 million and $161.5 million, respectively, in the third quarter of2011.

We increased our subscriber base from 152,203 as of June 30, 2009 to 142.9 million as ofSeptember 30, 2011. A total of 43,014 customers purchased Groupons through the end of thesecond quarter of 2009 as compared to 29.5 million through the end of the third quarter of 2011,including 16.0 million customers who have purchased more than one Groupon since January 1,2009.

We increased the number of merchants featured in our marketplace from 212 in the second quarterof 2009 to 78,649 in the third quarter of 2011.

We sold 116,231 Groupons in the second quarter of 2009 compared to 33.0 million Groupons in thethird quarter of 2011.

We grew from 37 employees as of June 30, 2009 to 10,418 employees as of September 30, 2011.

Each day we email our subscribers discounted offers for goods and services that are targeted bylocation and personal preferences. Consumers also access our deals directly through our websites andmobile applications. A typical deal might offer a $20 Groupon that can be redeemed for $40 in value at arestaurant, spa, yoga studio, car wash or other local merchant. Customers purchase Groupons from us andredeem them with our merchants. Our revenue is the purchase price paid by the customer for the Grouponless an agreed upon percentage of the purchase price paid to the featured merchant. Our gross billingsrepresent the gross amounts collected from customers for Groupons sold, and we consider this metric to be

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an indicator of our growth and business performance as it measures the dollar volume of transactionsthrough our marketplace. Gross billings are not equivalent to revenues or any other metric presented inour consolidated financial statements.

Our Advantage

Customer experience and relevance of deals. We are committed to providing a great customer

experience and maintaining the trust of our customers. We use our technology and scale to target relevantdeals based on individual subscriber preferences. As we increase the volume of transactions through ourmarketplace, we increase the amount of data that we have about deal performance and customer interests.This data allows us to continue to improve our ability to help merchants design the most effective dealsand deliver deals to customers that better match their interests.

Merchant scale and quality. In the nine months ended September 30, 2011, we featured deals fromover 190,000 merchants worldwide across over 190 categories of goods and services. Our salesforce of over4,800 sales representatives enables us to work with local merchants in 175 North American markets and45 countries. We draw on the experience we have gained in working with merchants to evaluateprospective merchants based on quality, location and relevance to our subscribers. We maintain a largebase of prospective merchants interested in our marketplace, which enables us to be more selective andoffer our subscribers higher quality deals. Increasing our merchant base also increases the number and

variety of deals that we offer to consumers, which we believe drives higher subscriber and user traffic, andin turn promotes greater merchant interest in our marketplace.

Brand. We believe we have built a trusted and recognizable brand by delivering a compelling valueproposition to consumers and merchants. A benefit of our well recognized brand is that a substantialportion of our subscribers in our established markets is acquired through word-of-mouth. We believe ourbrand is trusted due to our dedication to our customers and our significant investment in customersatisfaction.

Our Strategy

Our objective is to become an essential part of everyday local commerce for consumers andmerchants. Key elements of our strategy include the following:

Grow our subscriber base. We have made significant investments to acquire subscribers throughonline marketing initiatives. Our subscriber base has also increased by word-of-mouth. Our investments insubscriber growth are driven by the cost to acquire a subscriber relative to the profits we expect to generatefrom that subscriber over time. Our goal is to retain existing and acquire new subscribers by providingmore targeted and real-time deals, delivering high quality customer service and expanding the number andcategories of deals we offer.

Grow the number of merchants we feature. To drive merchant growth, we have expanded the numberof ways in which consumers can discover deals through our marketplace. For example, to better targetsubscribers, in February 2011, we launched Deal Channels, which aggregates daily deals from the samecategory. We adjust the number and variety of products we offer merchants based on merchant demand ineach market. We have also made significant investments in our salesforce, which builds merchant

relationships and local expertise. Our merchant retention efforts are focused on providing merchants witha positive experience by offering targeted placement of their deals to our subscriber base, high qualitycustomer service and tools to manage deals more effectively.

Increase the number and variety of our products through innovation. We have launched a variety ofnew products in the past 12 months and we plan to continue to launch new products to increase thenumber of subscribers and merchants that transact business through our marketplace. As our local

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e-commerce marketplace grows, we believe consumers will use Groupon not only as a discovery tool forlocal merchants, but also as an ongoing connection point to their favorite merchants.

Expand with acquisitions and business development partnerships. Since May 2010, we have made19 acquisitions and we have entered into several agreements with local partners to expand ourinternational presence. The increase in our revenue, key operating metrics and employee headcount from2009 to 2010 is partially attributable to these acquisitions and the subsequent growth of our international

operations as a result of such acquisitions. We have also entered into affiliate programs with companiessuch as eBay, Microsoft, Yahoo and Zynga, pursuant to which these partners display, promote anddistribute our deals to their users in exchange for a share of the revenue generated from our deals. Weintend to continue to expand our business with strategic acquisitions and business developmentpartnerships.

Our Metrics

We have organized our operations into two principal segments: North America, which represents theUnited States and Canada; and International, which represents the rest of our global operations.

The key metrics we use to measure our business include revenue, free cash flow and consolidatedsegment operating (loss) income, or CSOI. Free cash flow and CSOI are non-GAAP financial measures.See Summary Consolidated Financial and Other DataNon-GAAP Financial Measures for areconciliation of these measures to the most applicable financial measures under U.S. GAAP.

We believe revenue is an important indicator for our business because it is a reflection of the value ofour service to our merchants. In 2010 and the nine months ended September 30, 2011, we generatedrevenue of $312.9 million and $1,118.3 million, respectively.

We believe free cash flow is an important indicator for our business because it measures the amountof cash we generate after spending on marketing, wages and benefits, capital expenditures and other items.Free cash flow also reflects changes in working capital. In 2010 and the nine months ended September 30,2011, we generated free cash flow of $72.2 million and $99.7 million, respectively.

We believe CSOI is an important measure for management to evaluate the performance of ourbusiness as it represents the operating results of our segments as reported under U.S. GAAP and does not

include certain non-cash expenses. In 2010 and the nine months ended September 30, 2011, our CSOI was$(181.0) million and $(162.3) million, respectively.

Our Risks

Our business is subject to a number of risks of which you should be aware before making aninvestment decision. These risks are discussed more fully under the caption Risk Factors, and includebut are not limited to the following:

we may not maintain the revenue growth that we have experienced since inception;

we have experienced rapid growth over a short period in a new market we have created and we donot know whether this market will continue to develop or whether it can be maintained;

we base our decisions regarding investments in subscriber acquisition on assumptions regarding our

ability to generate future profits that may prove to be inaccurate;

we have incurred net losses since inception and we expect our operating expenses to increasesignificantly in the foreseeable future;

if we fail to retain our existing subscribers or acquire new subscribers, our revenue and business willbe harmed;

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if we fail to retain existing merchants or add new merchants, our revenue and business will beharmed;

our business is highly competitive and competition presents an ongoing threat to the success of ourbusiness;

if we are unable to recover subscriber acquisition costs with revenue generated from thosesubscribers, our business and operating results will be harmed;

if we are unable to maintain favorable terms with our merchants, our revenue may be adverselyaffected; and

our operating cash flow and results of operations could be adversely impacted if we change ourmerchant payment terms or our gross billings do not continue to grow.

Corporate Information

We are a Delaware corporation. Our principal executive offices are located at 600 West ChicagoAvenue, Suite 620, Chicago, Illinois 60654, and our telephone number at this address is (312) 676-5773.Our website is www.groupon.com . Information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus.

GROUPON, the GROUPON logo, GROUPON NOW and other GROUPONformative marks are

trademarks of Groupon, Inc. in the United States or other countries. This prospectus also includes othertrademarks of Groupon and trademarks of other persons.

Letter from Andrew D. Mason

A letter from Andrew D. Mason, one of our co-founders and our Chief Executive Officer, appears onpage 33 of this prospectus.

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THE OFFERING

Class A common stock offered in thisoffering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30,000,000 shares

Class A common stock to beoutstanding after this offering . . . . 630,403,352 shares

Class B common stock to beoutstanding after this offering . . . . 2,399,976 shares

Total shares of Class A common stockand Class B common stock to beoutstanding after this offering . . . . 632,803,328 shares

Use of proceeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . We expect our net proceeds from this offering will beapproximately $478.8 million, assuming an initial public offeringprice of $17.00, which is the midpoint of the range reflected onthe cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting estimatedunderwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering

expenses payable by us. We plan to use the net proceeds fromthis offering for working capital and other general corporatepurposes, which may include the acquisition of other businesses,products or technologies; however, we do not have anycommitments for any acquisitions at this time. See Use ofProceeds.

Risk factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . You should read the Risk Factors section of this prospectusfor a discussion of factors to consider carefully before decidingto invest in shares of our Class A common stock.

Proposed NASDAQ Global SelectMarket symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GRPN

The number of shares of our Class A common stock that will be outstanding after this offering isbased on 600,403,352 shares outstanding at September 30, 2011, and excludes:

2,399,976 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the conversion of our Class B commonstock that will be outstanding after this offering;

18,407,510 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstandingas of September 30, 2011 at a weighted average exercise price of $1.11 per share;

10,575,100 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units;

2,694,358 shares of Class A common stock available for additional grants under our 2010 Plan; and

49,974,998 shares of Class A common stock available for grants under our 2011 Plan, which weadopted effective August 17, 2011.

Prior to the closing of this offering, we intend to (i) effectuate a two-for-one forward stock split of our voting common stock and non-voting common stock and (ii) immediately following the stock split,recapitalize all of our outstanding shares of capital stock (other than our Series B preferred stock) intonewly issued shares of our Class A common stock. In addition, we intend to recapitalize all of ouroutstanding shares of our Series B preferred stock into newly issued shares of our Class B common stock.

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The purpose of the recapitalization is to exchange all of our outstanding shares of capital stock (other thanour Series B preferred stock) for shares of the Class A common stock that will be sold in this offering. SeeDescription of Capital StockStock Split and Recapitalization.

Our Class A common stock and Class B common stock will automatically convert into a single class ofcommon stock five years after the completion of this offering. See Description of Capital StockClass Aand Class B Common StockConversion.

Except as otherwise indicated, all share and per share amounts in this prospectus assume:

the consummation of a two-for-one forward stock split of our voting common stock and non-votingcommon stock prior to the closing of this offering;

the consummation of the recapitalization of all outstanding shares of our capital stock (other thanour Series B preferred stock) into 600,403,352 shares of Class A common stock and all outstandingshares of our Series B preferred stock into 2,399,976 shares of Class B common stock immediatelyfollowing the two-for-one forward stock split and prior to the closing of this offering;

the amendment and restatement of our certificate of incorporation prior to the closing of thisoffering; and

no exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option.

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SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OTHER DATA

We present below our summary consolidated financial and other data for the periods indicated.Financial information for periods prior to 2008 has not been provided because we began operations in2008. The summary consolidated statements of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2008,2009 and 2010 and the balance sheet data as of December 31, 2009 and 2010 have been derived from ouraudited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The balance sheet data for

the year ended December 31, 2008 was derived from financial statements that are not included in thisprospectus. The summary consolidated statements of operations data for the periods ended September 30,2010 and 2011 and the balance sheet data as of September 30, 2011 have been derived from our unauditedconsolidated financials statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The unaudited information wasprepared on a basis consistent with that used to prepare our audited financial statements and includes alladjustments, consisting of normal and recurring items, that we consider necessary for a fair presentation ofthe unaudited period. The historical results presented below are not necessarily indicative of financialresults to be achieved in future periods. You should read this information together with ManagementsDiscussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and our audited and unauditedconsolidated financial statements and accompanying notes, each included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Nine Months EndedYear Ended December 31, September 30,

2008 2009 2010 2010 2011

(Restated)(1) (Restated)(1) (Restated)(1) (unaudited) (unaudited)(dollars in thousands, except per share data)

Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:Revenue (gross billings of $94, $34,082, $745,348, $330,079

and $2,754,633, respectively) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 5 $ 14,540 $ 312,941 $ 140,717 $ 1,118,266Costs and expenses:

Cost of revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 4,716 42,896 17,705 162,614Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 5,053 290,569 89,642 613,173Selling, general and administrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,386 5,848 196,637 79,741 565,686Acquisition-related . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203,183 37,844 (4,793)

Total operating expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,637 15,617 733,285 224,932 1,336,680

Loss from operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1,632) (1,077) (420,344) (84,215) (218,414)Interest and other income (expense), net . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 (16) 284 1,930 9,808Equity-method investment activity, net of tax . . . . . . . . . . . (19,974)

Loss before provision for income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1,542) (1,093) (420,060) (82,285) (228,580)Provision (benefit) for income taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 (6,674) (4,502) 9,503

Net loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1,542) (1,341) (413,386) (77,783) (238,083)Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests . . . . . 23,746 1,373 23,602

Net loss attributable to Groupon, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1,542) (1,341) (389,640) (76,410) (214,481)Dividends on preferred stock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (277) (5,575) (1,362) (1,300) Redemption of preferred stock in excess of carrying value . . (52,893) (34,327)Adjustment of redeemable noncontrolling interests to

redemption value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (12,425) (59,307)Preferred stock distributions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (339)

Net loss attributable to common stockholders . . . . . . . . . . $ (2,158) $ (6,916) $ (456,320) $ (77,710) $ (308,115)

Net loss per share attributable to common stockholdersBasic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ (0.01) $ (0.02) $ (1.33) $ (0.23) $ (1.01)Diluted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ (0.01) $ (0.02) $ (1.33) $ (0.23) $ (1.01)

Weighted average number of shares outstanding

Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333,476,258 337,208,284 342,698,772 339,704,672 305,288,502Diluted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333,476,258 337,208,284 342,698,772 339,704,672 305,288,502Pro forma net loss per share (unaudited) (2)

Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ (0.72) $ (0.51)Diluted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ (0.72) $ (0.51)

Pro forma weighted average number of shares outstanding(unaudited)Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 636,008,488 598,589,218Diluted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 636,008,488 598,589,218

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2008 2009 2010 2010 2011

(Restated)(1) (Restated)(1) (Restated)(1) (unaudited) (unaudited)(dollars in thousands, except per share data)

Other Financial Data:Segment operating (loss) income:

North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ (1,608) $ (962) $ (10,437) $ 11,469 $ (13,443)International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (170,556) (49,101) (148,842)

CSOI(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ (1,608) $ (962) $ (180,993) $ (37,632) $ (162,285)

(1) The Consolidated Financial Statements have been restated for the presentation of revenue on a net basis for the years endedDecember 31, 2008, 2009 and 2010. See Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

(2) Unaudited pro forma net loss per share gives effect to (i) a two-for-one forward stock split of our voting common stock and non-voting common stock that will occur prior to the closing of this offering; (ii) the recapitalization of all outstanding shares of ourcapital stock (other than our Series B preferred stock) into shares of Class A common stock and all of our Series B preferredstock into shares of Class B common stock immediately following the two-for-one forward stock split and prior to the closing ofthis offering; and (iii) the amendment and restatement of our certificate of incorporation prior to the closing of this offering.

(3) Consolidated segment operating (loss) income, or CSOI, is a non-GAAP financial measure. See Summary ConsolidatedFinancial and Other DataNon-GAAP Financial Measures for a reconciliation of this measure to the most applicable financialmeasure under U.S. GAAP. We do not allocate stock-based compensation and acquisition-related expense to the segments. SeeNote 14 Segment Information of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements and Note 14 Segment Information of Notes toCondensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) for additional information.


2008 2009 2010 2010 2011

Operating Metrics:Gross billings (in thousands)(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $94 $ 34,082 $ 745,348 $ 330,079 $ 2,754,633Subscribers(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * 1,807,278 50,583,805 21,369,608 142,865,836Cumulative customers(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * 375,099 9,031,807 4,623,267 29,504,314Featured merchants(4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * 2,695 66,289 31,190 190,795Groupons sold(5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * 1,248,792 30,296,070 14,060,589 93,629,524Average revenue per subscriber(6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * $ 8.0 $ 11.9 $ 12.1 $ 11.6 Average cumulative Groupons sold per customer(7) . . . . . . . * 3.3 3.5 3.3 4.2 Average revenue per Groupon sold(8) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * $ 11.6 $ 10.3 $ 10.0 $ 11.9Cumulative repeat customers(9) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * 162,323 4,483,976 2,186,791 16,045,533

* Not available

(1) Reflects the gross amounts collected from customers for Groupons sold, excluding any applicable taxes and net of estimatedrefunds, in the applicable period.

(2) Reflects the total number of subscribers who had a Groupon account on the last day of the applicable period, less individualswho have unsubscribed. May include individual subscribers with multiple registrations because the information we collect fromsubscribers does not permit us to identify when a subscriber may have created multiple accounts, nor do we prevent subscribersfrom creating multiple accounts. Also may include individuals who do not receive our email offers because our emails have beenblocked or are otherwise undeliverable.

(3) Reflects the total number of unique customers who have purchased Groupons from January 1, 2009 through the end of theapplicable period. May include individual customers with multiple registrations.

(4) Reflects the total number of merchants featured in the applicable period.

(5) Reflects the total number of Groupons sold in the applicable period.

(6) Reflects the average revenue generated per average number of subscribers in the applicable period.

(7) Reflects the average number of Groupons sold per cumulative customer from January 1, 2009 through the end of the applicableperiod.

(8) Reflects the average revenue generated per Groupon sold in the applicable period.

(9) Reflects the total number of unique customers who have purchased more than one Groupon from January 1, 2009 through theend of the applicable period.

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As of December 31, As of September 30, 2011

Pro Forma2008 2009 2010 Actual Pro Forma(1) As Adjusted(2)(3)

(unaudited)(in thousands, other than per share amounts)

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:Cash and cash equivalents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 2,966 $ 12,313 $ 118,833 $ 243,935 $ 243,935 $ 722,735Working capital (deficit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,643 3,988 (196,564) (301,050) (301,050) 177,750Total assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,006 14,962 381,570 795,567 795,567 1,274,367

Total long-term liabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,621 44,507 44,507 44,507Redeemable preferred stock . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,747 34,712 Cash dividends per common share . . . . . . . . . 0.063 Total Groupon, Inc. stockholders (deficit) equity (2,091) (29,969) 8,077 (14,696) (14,696) 464,104

(1) The pro forma column gives effect to (i) a two-for-one forward stock split of our voting common stock and non-voting commonstock that will occur prior to the closing of this offering; (ii) the recapitalization of all outstanding shares of our capital stock(other than our Series B preferred stock) into 600,403,352 shares of Class A common stock and all outstanding shares of ourSeries B preferred stock into 2,399,976 shares of Class B common stock immediately following the two-for-one forward stocksplit and prior to the closing of this offering; and (iii) the amendment and restatement of our certificate of incorporation prior tothe closing of this offering.

(2) The pro forma as adjusted column gives further effect to the sale by us of Class A common stock in this offering at an assumedinitial public offering price of $17.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the range reflected on the cover page of this prospectus,after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

(3) Each $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $17.00 per share would increase (decrease) the

amount of pro forma as adjusted cash and cash equivalents, working capital (deficit), total assets and total Groupon, Inc.stockholders equity by approximately $28.5 million, assuming the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover pageof this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimatedoffering expenses payable by us. Similarly, each increase (decrease) of one million shares in the number of shares of Class Acommon stock offered by us would increase (decrease) cash and cash equivalents, working capital (deficit), total assets and totalGroupon, Inc. stockholders equity by approximately $16.2 million, assuming the assumed initial public offering price remains thesame and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We use free cash flow and consolidated segment operating (loss) income, or CSOI, as key non-GAAPfinancial measures. Free cash flow and CSOI are used in addition to and in conjunction with resultspresented in accordance with U.S. GAAP and should not be relied upon to the exclusion of U.S. GAAPfinancial measures.

Free cash flow, which is reconciled to Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities, is cashflow from operations reduced by Purchases of property and equipment. We use free cash flow, and ratiosbased on it, to conduct and evaluate our business because, although it is similar to cash flow fromoperations, we believe it typically will present a more conservative measure of cash flows as purchases offixed assets, software developed for internal use and website development costs are a necessary componentof ongoing operations.

Free cash flow has limitations due to the fact that it does not represent the residual cash flow availablefor discretionary expenditures. For example, free cash flow does not include the cash payments for businessacquisitions. In addition, free cash flow reflects the impact of the timing difference between when we arepaid by customers and when we pay merchants. Therefore, we believe it is important to view free cash flowas a complement to our entire consolidated statements of cash flows.

CSOI is the consolidated operating (loss) income of our two segments, North America andInternational, adjusted for acquisition-related costs and stock-based compensation expense. Acquisition-related costs are non-recurring, non-cash items related to certain of our acquisitions. Stock-basedcompensation expense is a non-cash item. We do not allocate stock-based compensation and acquisition-related expenses to the segments. See Note 14 Segment Information of Notes to Consolidated FinancialStatements and Note 14 Segment Information of Notes to Condensed Consolidated FinancialStatements (Unaudited) for additional information.

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We consider CSOI to be an important measure for management to evaluate the performance of ourbusiness as it excludes certain non-cash expenses. We believe it is important to view CSOI as a complementto our entire consolidated statements of operations. When evaluating our performance, you shouldconsider CSOI as a complement to other financial performance measures, including various cash flowmetrics, net loss and our other U.S. GAAP results.

Free Cash Flow

The following is a reconciliation of free cash flow to the most comparable U.S. GAAP measure, Netcash (used in) provided by operating activities, for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2009 and 2010and the nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2011:


2008 2009 2010 2010 2011

(in thousands)

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities . . $(1,526) $7,510 $ 86,885 $34,966 $129,511Purchases of property and equipment . . . . . . . . . . . (19) (290) (14,681) (6,092) (29,825)

Free cash flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $(1,545) $7,220 $ 72,204 $28,874 $ 99,686

CSOI

The following is a reconciliation of CSOI to the most comparable U.S. GAAP measure, Loss fromoperations, for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2009 and 2010 and the nine months endedSeptember 30, 2010 and 2011:


2008 2009 2010 2010 2011

(in thousands)

Loss from operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $(1,632) $(1,077) $(420,344) $(84,215) $(218,414)Adjustments:Stock-based compensation(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 115 36,168 8,739 60,922

Acquisition-related(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203,183 37,844 (4,793)Total adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 115 239,351 46,583 56,129

CSOI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $(1,608) $ (962) $(180,993) $(37,632) $(162,285)

(1) Represents non-cash stock-based compensation expense recorded within cost of revenue, marketing and selling, general andadministrative expense.

(2) Primarily represents non-cash charges for remeasurement of the fair value of contingent consideration related to acquisitionsmade in 2010. The amount of the charge in 2010 was due to the significant increase in the value of common stock from theoriginal acquisition date until the date the contingency was ultimately settled.

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in our Class A common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully considerthe risks described below and all of the other information contained in this prospectus before deciding whether

to purchase our Class A common stock. Our business, prospects, financial condition or operating results couldbe materially adversely affected by any of these risks, as well as other risks not currently known to us or that wecurrently consider immaterial. The trading price of our Class A common stock could decline due to any of these

risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment. In assessing the risks described below, you should alsorefer to the other information contained in this prospectus, including our consolidated financial statements andthe related notes, before deciding to purchase any shares of our Class A common stock.

Risks Related to Our Business

We may not maintain the revenue growth that we have experienced since inception.

Although our revenue has increased substantially since inception, we may not be able to maintain ourhistorical rate of revenue growth. We believe that our continued revenue growth will depend, among otherfactors, on our ability to:

acquire new subscribers who purchase Groupons;

retain our existing subscribers and have them continue to purchase Groupons;

attract new merchants who wish to offer deals through the sale of Groupons;

retain our existing merchants and have them offer additional deals through our marketplace;

expand the number, variety and relevance of products and deals we offer each day;

increase the awareness of our brand across geographies;

provide our subscribers and merchants with a superior experience;

respond to changes in consumer access to and use of the internet and mobile devices; and

react to challenges from existing and new competitors.

However, we cannot assure you that we will successfully implement any of these actions.

We have experienced rapid growth over a short period in a new market that we have created and we do not know whether this market will continue to develop or whether it can be maintained. If we are unable to successfully

respond to changes in the market, our business could be harmed.

Our business has grown rapidly as merchants and consumers have increasingly used our marketplace.However, this is a new market which we only created in late 2008 and which has operated at a substantialscale for only a limited period of time. Given the limited history, it is difficult to predict whether thismarket will continue to grow or whether it can be maintained. For example, as a result of our limitedoperating history in a new industry and because the majority of our subscribers registered for our service ormade their initial purchase of a Groupon in the past 12 months, it is difficult to discern meaningful orestablished trends with respect to the purchase activity of our subscribers or customers. We expect that themarket will evolve in ways which may be difficult to predict. For example, we anticipate that over time wewill reach a point in most markets where we have achieved a market penetration such that investments in

new subscriber acquisition are less productive and the continued growth of our revenue will require morefocus on increasing the rate at which our existing subscribers purchase Groupons. It is also possible thatmerchants or customers could broadly determine that they no longer believe in the value of our currentservices or marketplace. In the event of these or any other changes to the market, our continued successwill depend on our ability to successfully adjust our strategy to meet the changing market dynamics. If weare unable to do so, our business could be harmed and our results of operations subject to a materialnegative impact.

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We base our decisions regarding investments in subscriber acquisition primarily on our analysis of the profits

generated from subscribers that we acquired in prior periods. If the estimates and assumptions we use are

inaccurate, we may not be able to recover our subscriber acquisition costs and our growth rate and financial results

will be adversely affected.

Our decisions regarding investments in subscriber acquisition substantially depend upon our analysisof the profits generated from subscribers we acquired in earlier periods. We refer to this as our subscriber

economics. Our analysis regarding subscriber economics includes several assumptions, including: Because the costs of offering or distributing deals to existing subscribers are not significant, our

analysis focuses on the online marketing costs incurred during the quarter in which the subscribersare originally acquired and makes various assumptions with respect to the level of additionalmarketing or other expenses necessary to maintain subscriber loyalty and generate purchase activityin subsequent periods. If our assumptions regarding such expenses in subsequent periods areincorrect, our subscriber economics could be less favorable than we believe.

The analysis which we present below in BusinessSubscriber Economics includes a discussion ofour Q2 2010 cohort and case studies from certain of our largest markets. These results inherentlyreflect a distinct group of merchants, subscribers and geographies and may not be representative ofour current or future composite group of merchants, subscribers and geographies. For example, ourQ2 2010 cohort and market case studies may reflect unique market dynamics or the novelty of our

service during the periods covered.

If our assumptions regarding our subscriber economics, including those relating to the effectiveness ofour marketing spend, prove incorrect, our ability to generate profits from our investments in newsubscriber acquisitions may be less than we have assumed. In such case, we may need to increase expensesor otherwise alter our strategy and our results of operations could be negatively impacted.

We have incurred net losses since inception and we expect our operating expenses to increase significantly in the

foreseeable future.

We incurred net losses of $389.6 million and $214.5 million in 2010 and the nine months endedSeptember 30, 2011, respectively, and had an accumulated deficit of $633.9 million as of September 30,2011. We anticipate that our operating expenses will increase substantially in the foreseeable future as wecontinue to invest to increase our subscriber base, increase the number and variety of deals we offer eachday, expand our marketing channels, expand our operations, hire additional employees and develop ourtechnology platform. These efforts may prove more expensive than we currently anticipate, and we maynot succeed in increasing our revenue sufficiently to offset these higher expenses. Many of our efforts togenerate revenue from our business are new and unproven, and any failure to increase our revenue couldprevent us from attaining or increasing profitability. We cannot be certain that we will be able to attain orincrease profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. If we are unable to effectively manage these risks anddifficulties as we encounter them, our business, financial condition and results of operations may suffer.

If we fail to retain our existing subscribers or acquire new subscribers, our revenue and business will be harmed.

We spent $466.5 million on online marketing initiatives relating to subscriber acquisition for the ninemonths ended September 30, 2011 and expect to continue to spend significant amounts to acquireadditional subscribers. We must continue to retain and acquire subscribers that purchase Groupons inorder to increase revenue and achieve profitability. We cannot assure you that the revenue fromsubscribers we acquire will ultimately exceed the cost of acquiring new subscribers. If consumers do notperceive our Groupon offers to be of high value and quality or if we fail to introduce new and morerelevant deals, we may not be able to acquire or retain subscribers. Recently, we have reduced oursubscriber acquisition costs as a percentage of revenue. We cannot assure you that this will not adverselyimpact our ability to acquire new subscribers. If we are unable to acquire new subscribers who purchase

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the timing and market acceptance of deals we offer, including the developments and enhancementsto those deals offered by us or our competitors;

subscriber and merchant service and support efforts;

selling and marketing efforts;

ease of use, performance, price and reliability of services offered either by us or our competitors;

our ability to cost-effectively manage our operations; and our reputation and brand strength relative to our competitors.

Many of our current and potential competitors have longer operating histories, significantly greaterfinancial, marketing and other resources and larger subscriber bases than we do. These factors may allowour competitors to benefit from their existing customer or subscriber base with lower customer acquisitioncosts or to respond more quickly than we can to new or emerging technologies and changes in consumerhabits. These competitors may engage in more extensive research and development efforts, undertakemore far-reaching marketing campaigns and adopt more aggressive pricing policies, which may allow themto build larger subscriber bases or generate revenue from their subscriber bases more effectively than wedo. Our competitors may offer deals that are similar to the deals we offer or that achieve greater marketacceptance than the deals we offer. This could attract subscribers away from our websites and applications,reduce our market share and adversely impact our revenue. In addition, we are dependent on some of ourexisting or potential competitors, including Google and Microsoft, for banner advertisements and othermarketing initiatives to acquire new subscribers. Our ability to utilize their platforms to acquire newsubscribers may be adversely affected if they choose to compete more directly with us.

If we are unable to recover subscriber acquisition costs with revenue generated from those subscribers, our business

and operating results will be harmed.

As of September 30, 2011, we had 142.9 million subscribers to our daily emails, and we expect thenumber of subscribers to grow significantly during the remainder of 2011. Acquiring a subscriber base iscostly, and the success of our business depends on our ability to generate revenue from new and existingsubscribers. In 2010 and the nine months ended September 30, 2011, we spent $241.5 million and$466.5 million, respectively, on online marketing initiatives relating to subscriber acquisition. As oursubscriber base continues to evolve, it is possible that the composition of our subscribers may change in amanner that makes it more difficult to generate revenue to offset the costs associated with acquiring newsubscribers. For example, if we acquire a large number of new subscribers who are not viewed as anattractive demographic by merchants, we may not be able to generate compelling products for thosesubscribers to offset the cost of acquiring those subscribers. If the cost to acquire subscribers is greaterthan the revenue we generate over time from those subscribers, our business and operating results will beharmed.

If we are unable to maintain favorable terms with our merchants, our revenue may be adversely affected.

The success of our business depends in part on our ability to retain and increase the number ofmerchants who use our service. Currently, when a merchant partners with us to offer a deal for its productsor services, it receives an agreed upon percentage of the gross billings from each Groupon sold, and weretain the rest. If merchants decide that utilizing our services no longer provides an effective means of

attracting new customers or selling their goods and services, they may demand a higher percentage of thegross billings from each Groupon sold. This would adversely affect our revenue.

In addition, we expect to face increased competition from other internet and technology-basedbusinesses such as Google and Microsoft, each of which has launched initiatives which are directlycompetitive to our business. We also have seen that some competitors will accept lower margins, ornegative margins, to attract attention and acquire new subscribers. If competitors engage in group buying

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initiatives in which merchants receive a higher percentage of the gross billings than we currently offer, wemay be forced to pay a higher percentage of the gross billings than we currently offer, which may reduceour revenue.

Our operating cash flow and results of operations could be adversely impacted if we change our merchant payment

terms or our gross billings do not continue to grow.

Our merchant payment terms and revenue growth have provided us with operating cash flow to fundour working capital needs. Our merchant arrangements are generally structured such that we collect cashup front when our customers purchase Groupons and make payments to our merchants at a subsequentdate. In North America, we typically pay our merchants in installments within sixty days after the Grouponis sold. In our International segment, merchants are not paid until the customer redeems the Groupon.Our accrued merchant payable, which primarily consists of payment obligations to our merchants, hasgrown, both nominally and as a percentage of gross billings, as our gross billings have increased,particularly the gross billings from our International segment. Our accrued merchant payable balanceincreased from $4.3 million as of December 31, 2009 to $465.6 million as of September 30, 2011. Thismerchant payable balance exceeded our cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2011 andcontributed to our working capital deficit of $301.1 million as of September 30, 2011.

We use the operating cash flow provided by our merchant payment terms and revenue growth to fund

our working capital needs. If we offer our merchants more favorable or accelerated payment terms or ourgross billings do not continue to grow in the future, our operating cash flow and results of operations couldbe adversely impacted and we may have to seek alternative financing to fund our working capital needs.

Our business relies heavily on email and other messaging services, and any restrictions on the sending of emails or

messages or a decrease in subscriber willingness to receive messages could adversely affect our revenue and

business.

Our business is highly dependent upon email and other messaging services. Deals offered throughemails and other messages sent by us, or on our behalf by our affiliates, generate a substantial portion ofour revenue. Because of the importance of email and other messaging services to our businesses, if we areunable to successfully deliver emails or messages to our subscribers or potential subscribers, or ifsubscribers decline to open our emails or messages, our revenue and profitability would be adversely

affected. Actions by third parties to block, impose restrictions on, or charge for the delivery of, emails orother messages could also materially and adversely impact our business. From time to time, internetservice providers block bulk email transmissions or otherwise experience technical difficulties that result inour inability to successfully deliver emails or other messages to third parties. In addition, our use of emailand other messaging services to send communications about our website or other matters may result inlegal claims against us, which if successful might limit or prohibit our ability to send emails or othermessages. Any disruption or restriction on the distribution of emails or other messages or any increase inthe associated costs would materially and adversely affect our revenue and profitability.

We have a rapidly evolving business model and our new product and service offerings could fail to attract or retain

subscribers or generate revenue.

We have a rapidly evolving business model and are regularly exploring entry into new market

segments and the introduction of new products and features with respect to which we may have limitedexperience. In addition, our subscribers may not respond favorably to our new products and services.These products and services may present new and significant technology challenges, and we may be subjectto claims if subscribers of these offerings experience service disruptions or failures or other quality issues.If products or services we introduce, such as changes to our websites and applications, the introduction ofsocial networking and location-based marketing elements to our websites, or entirely new lines of businessthat we may pursue, fail to engage subscribers or merchants, we may fail to acquire or retain subscribers orgenerate sufficient revenue or other value to justify our investment, and our business may be materially

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and adversely affected. Our ability to retain or increase our subscriber base and revenue will dependheavily on our ability to innovate and to create successful new products and services. In addition, therelative profitability, if any, of our new activities may be lower than that of our historical activities, and wemay not generate sufficient revenue from new activities to recoup our investments in them. If any of thiswere to occur, it could damage our reputation, limit our growth and negatively affect our operating results.

If we are unable to retain the services of certain individuals involved in the operations of our International segment,

our international expansion may suffer.

Our international expansion has been rapid and our international business has become critical to thegrowth in our revenue and our ability to achieve profitability. In the nine months ended September 30,2010 and 2011, 20.4% and 59.3%, respectively, of our revenue was generated from our Internationalsegment. We began our international operations in May 2010 with the acquisition of CityDealEurope GmbH, or CityDeal, which was founded by Oliver Samwer and Marc Samwer. Since the CityDealacquisition, Messrs. Samwer have served as consultants and been extensively involved in the developmentand operations of our International segment. The agreements under which Oliver and Marc Samwerprovide us with consulting services will expire in October 2012 and October 2013, respectively. In the eventMessrs. Samwer do not continue to provide us with consulting services after the respective terminationdates of their agreements, we can make no assurances that the loss of their services will not disrupt ourinternational operations or have an adverse effect on our ability to grow our international business.

Our international operations are subject to increased challenges, and our inability to adapt to the varied

commercial and regulatory landscapes of our international markets may adversely affect our business.

Further expansion into international markets requires management attention and resources andrequires us to localize our services to conform to a wide variety of local cultures, business practices, lawsand policies. The different commercial and internet infrastructure in other countries may make it moredifficult for us to replicate our business model. In many countries, we compete with local companies thatunderstand the local market better than we do, and we may not benefit from first-to-market advantages.We may not be successful in expanding into particular international markets or in generating revenue fromforeign operations. As we continue to expand internationally, we are increasingly subject to risks of doingbusiness internationally, including the following:

strong local competitors; different regulatory requirements, including regulation of gift cards and coupon terms, internet

services, professional selling, distance selling, bulk emailing, privacy and data protection, bankingand money transmitting, that may limit or prevent the offering of our services in some jurisdictionsor prevent enforceable agreements;

difficulties in integrating with local payment providers, including banks, credit and debit cardnetworks and electronic funds transfer systems;

different employee/employer relationships and the existence of workers councils and labor unions;

shorter payment cycles, different accounting practices and greater problems in collecting accountsreceivable;

higher internet service provider costs;

seasonal reductions in business activity;

expenses associated with localizing our products, including offering subscribers the ability totransact business in the local currency; and

differing intellectual property laws.

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If, as we continue to expand internationally, we are unable to successfully replicate our business modeldue to commercial and regulatory constraints in our international markets, our business may be adverselyaffected.

The integration of our international operations with our North American technology platform may result in

business interruptions.

We currently use a common technology platform in our North America segment to operate ourbusiness and are in the process of migrating our operations in our International segment to the sameplatform. Such changes to our technology platform and related software carry risks such as cost overruns,project delays and business interruptions and delays. If we experience a material business interruption as aresult of this process, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and resultsof operations and could cause the market value of our common stock to decline.

An increase in the costs associated with maintaining our international operations could adversely affect our results

of operations.

Certain factors may cause our international costs of doing business to exceed our comparable costs inNorth America. For example, in some countries, expansion of our business may require a close commercialrelationship with one or more local banks, a shared ownership interest with a local entity or registration as

a bank under local law. Such requirements may reduce our revenue, increase our costs or limit the scope ofour activities in particular countries.

Further, as we expand our international operations and have additional portions of our internationalrevenue denominated in foreign currencies, we could become subject to increased difficulties in collectingaccounts receivable and repatriating money without adverse tax consequences and increased risks relatingto foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. Further, we could be subject to the application of U.S. taxrules to acquired international operations and local taxation of our fees or of transactions on our websites.

We conduct certain functions, including product development, subscriber support and otheroperations, in regions outside of North America. Any factors which reduce the anticipated benefits,including cost efficiencies and productivity improvements, associated with providing these functionsoutside of North America, including increased regulatory costs associated with our internationaloperations, could adversely affect our business.

An increase in our refund rates could reduce our liquidity and profitability.

Our Groupon Promise states that we will provide our customers with a refund of the purchase priceof a Groupon if they believe that we have let them down. As we increase our revenue, our refund rates mayexceed our historical levels. A downturn in general economic conditions may also increase our refundrates. An increase in our refund rates could significantly reduce our liquidity and profitability.

As we do not have control over our merchants and the quality of products or services they deliver, werely on a combination of our historical experience with each merchant and online and offline research ofcustomer reviews of merchants for the development of our estimate for refund claims. Our actual level ofrefund claims could prove to be greater than the level of refund claims we estimate. If our refund reservesare not adequate to cover future refund claims, this inadequacy could have a material adverse effect on our

liquidity and profitability.

Our standard agreements with our merchants generally limit the time period during which we mayseek reimbursement for customer refunds or claims. Our customers may make claims for refunds withrespect to which we are unable to seek reimbursement from our merchants. Our inability to seekreimbursement from our merchants for refund claims could have an adverse effect on our liquidity andprofitability.

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If our merchants do not meet the needs and expectations of our subscribers, our business could suffer.

Our business depends on our reputation for providing high-quality deals, and our brand andreputation may be harmed by actions taken by merchants that are outside our control. Any shortcomingsof one or more of our merchants, particularly with respect to an issue affecting the quality of the dealoffered or the products or services sold, may be attributed by our subscribers to us, thus damaging ourreputation, brand value and potentially affecting our results of operations. In addition, negative publicity

and subscriber sentiment generated as a result of fraudulent or deceptive conduct by our merchants coulddamage our reputation, reduce our ability to attract new subscribers or retain our current subscribers, anddiminish the value of our brand.

We cannot assure you that we will be able to manage the growth of our organization effectively.

We have experienced rapid growth in demand for our services since our inception. Our employeeheadcount and number of subscribers have increased significantly since our inception, and we expect thisgrowth to continue for the foreseeable future. The growth and expansion of our business and serviceofferings places significant demands on our management and our operational and financial resources. Weare required to manage multiple relations with various merchants, subscribers, technology licensors andother third parties. In the event of further growth of our operations or in the number of our third-partyrelationships, our information technology systems or our internal controls and procedures may not be

adequate to support our operations. To effectively manage our growth, we must continue to implementoperational plans and strategies, improve and expand our infrastructure of people and informationsystems, and train and manage our employee base.

The loss of one or more key members of our management team, or our failure to attract, integrate and retain other

highly qualified personnel in the future, could harm our business.

We currently depend on the continued services and performance of the key members of ourmanagement team, including Andrew D. Mason, our Chief Executive Officer, and Jason E. Child, ourChief Financial Officer. Mr. Mason is one of our founders and his leadership has played an integral role inour growth. The loss of key personnel, including key members of management as well as our marketing,sales, product development and technology personnel, could disrupt our operations and have an adverseeffect on our ability to grow our business. Moreover, many members of our management are new to our

team or have been recently promoted to new roles.Eric P. Lefkofsky is one of our founders and has served as the Executive Chairman of our Board of

Directors since our inception. Although Mr. Lefkofsky historically has devoted a significant amount of hisbusiness time to Groupon, he is under no contractual or other obligation to do so and may not do so in thefuture. Mr. Lefkofsky invests his business time and financial resources in a variety of other businesses,including Lightbank LLC, a private investment firm that Mr. Lefkofsky co-founded with Bradley A.Keywell. Such investments may be in areas that present conflicts with, or involve businesses related to, ouroperations. If Mr. Lefkofsky devotes less time to our business in the future, our business may be adverselyaffected.

As we become a more mature company, we may find our recruiting and retention efforts morechallenging. We are seeking to hire a significant number of personnel, including certain key managementpersonnel. If we do not succeed in attracting, hiring and integrating excellent personnel, or retaining andmotivating existing personnel, we may be unable to grow effectively.

We may be subject to additional unexpected regulation which could increase our costs or otherwise harm our

business.

The application of certain laws and regulations to Groupons, as a new product category, is uncertain.These include laws and regulations such as the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and DisclosureAct of 2009, or the CARD Act, and unclaimed and abandoned property laws. In addition, from time to

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time, we may be notified of additional laws and regulations which governmental organizations or othersmay claim should be applicable to our business. For example, we were recently notified by theMassachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission that Groupon discounts for some Massachusettsrestaurants may not be in compliance with Massachusetts liquor laws and regulations. If we are required toalter our business practices as a result of any laws and regulations, our revenue could decrease, our costscould increase and our business could otherwise be harmed. In addition, the costs and expenses associatedwith defending any actions related to such additional laws and regulations and any payments of related

penalties, judgments or settlements could adversely impact our profitability.

The implementation of the CARD Act and similar state and foreign laws may harm our business and results of

operations.

Groupons may be considered gift cards, gift certificates, stored value cards or prepaid cards andtherefore governed by, among other laws, the CARD Act, and state laws governing gift cards, stored valuecards and coupons. Other foreign jurisdictions have similar laws in place, in particular European jurisdictions where the European E-Money Directive regulates the business of electronic moneyinstitutions. Many of these laws contain provisions governing the use of gift cards, gift certificates, storedvalue cards or prepaid cards, including specific disclosure requirements and prohibitions or limitations onthe use of expiration dates and the imposition of certain fees. For example, if Groupons are subject to theCARD Act and are not included in the exemption for promotional programs, it is possible that thepurchase value, which is the amount equal to the price paid for the Groupon, or the promotional value,which is the add-on value of the Groupon in excess of the price paid, or both, may not expire before thelater of (i) five years after the date on which the Groupon was issued or the date on which the subscriberlast loaded funds on the Groupon if the Groupon has a reloadable feature; (ii) the Groupons statedexpiration date (if any); or (iii) a later date provided by applicable state law. We and several merchantswith whom we have partnered are currently defendants in 16 purported class actions that have been filed infederal and state court claiming that Groupons are subject to the CARD Act and various state lawsgoverning gift cards and that the defendants have violated these laws by issuing Groupons with expirationdates and other restrictions. We are also the defendant to a purported class action in the Canadianprovince of Ontario in which similar violations of provincial legislation governing gift cards are alleged. Inthe event that it is determined that Groupons are subject to the CARD Act or any similar state or foreignlaw or regulation, and are not within various exemptions that may be available under the CARD Act or

under some of the various state or foreign jurisdictions, our liabilities with respect to unredeemedGroupons may be materially higher than the amounts shown in our financial statements and we may besubject to additional fines and penalties. In addition, if federal or state laws require that the face value ofGroupons have a minimum expiration period beyond the period desired by a merchant for its promotionalprogram, or no expiration period, this may affect the willingness of merchants to issue Groupons in jurisdictions where these laws apply. If we are required to materially increase the estimated liabilityrecorded in our financial statements with respect to unredeemed gift cards, our net income could bematerially and adversely affected.

If we are required to materially increase the estimated liability recorded in our financial statements with respect to

unredeemed Groupons, our net income could be materially and adversely affected.

In certain states and foreign jurisdictions, Groupons may be considered a gift card. Some of these

states and foreign jurisdictions include gift cards under their unclaimed and abandoned property lawswhich require companies to remit to the government the value of the unredeemed balance on the gift cardsafter a specified period of time (generally between one and five years) and impose certain reporting andrecordkeeping obligations. We do not remit any amounts relating to unredeemed Groupons based on ourassessment of applicable laws. The analysis of the potential application of the unclaimed and abandonedproperty laws to Groupons is complex, involving an analysis of constitutional and statutory provisions andfactual issues, including our relationship with subscribers and merchants and our role as it relates to theissuance and delivery of a Groupon. In the event that one or more states or foreign jurisdictions

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successfully challenges our position on the application of its unclaimed and abandoned property laws toGroupons, or if the estimates that we use in projecting the likelihood of Groupons being redeemed proveto be inaccurate, our liabilities with respect to unredeemed Groupons may be materially higher than theamounts shown in our financial statements. If we are required to materially increase the estimated liabilityrecorded in our financial statements with respect to unredeemed gift cards, our net income could bematerially and adversely affected. Moreover, a successful challenge to our position could subject us topenalties or interest on unreported and unremitted sums, and any such penalties or interest would have a

further material adverse impact on our net income.

Government regulation of the internet and e-commerce is evolving, and unfavorable changes or failure by us to

comply with these regulations could substantially harm our business and results of operations.

We are subject to general business regulations and laws as well as regulations and laws specificallygoverning the internet and e-commerce. Existing and future regulations and laws could impede the growthof the internet or other online services. These regulations and laws may involve taxation, tariffs, subscriberprivacy, anti-spam, data protection, content, copyrights, distribution, electronic contracts and othercommunications, consumer protection, the provision of online payment services and the characteristics andquality of services. It is not clear how existing laws governing issues such as property ownership, sales andother taxes, libel and personal privacy apply to the internet as the vast majority of these laws were adoptedprior to the advent of the internet and do not contemplate or address the unique issues raised by theinternet or e-commerce. In addition, it is possible that governments of one or more countries may seek tocensor content available on our websites and applications or may even attempt to completely block accessto our websites. Adverse legal or regulatory developments could substantially harm our business. Inparticular, in the event that we are restricted, in whole or in part, from operating in one or more countries,our ability to retain or increase our subscriber base may be adversely affected and we may not be able tomaintain or grow our revenue as anticipated.

New tax treatment of companies engaged in internet commerce may adversely affect the commercial use of our

services and our financial results.

Due to the global nature of the internet, it is possible that various states or foreign countries mightattempt to regulate our transmissions or levy sales, income or other taxes relating to our activities. Taxauthorities at the international, federal, state and local levels are currently reviewing the appropriatetreatment of companies engaged in internet commerce. New or revised international, federal, state or localtax regulations may subject us or our subscribers to additional sales, income and other taxes. We cannotpredict the effect of current attempts to impose sales, income or other taxes on commerce over theinternet. New or revised taxes and, in particular, sales taxes, VAT and similar taxes would likely increasethe cost of doing business online and decrease the attractiveness of advertising and selling goods andservices over the internet. New taxes could also create significant increases in internal costs necessary tocapture data, and collect and remit taxes. Any of these events could have an adverse effect on our businessand results of operations.

Failure to comply with federal, state and international privacy laws and regulations, or the expansion of current or

the enactment of new privacy laws or regulations, could adversely affect our business.

A variety of federal, state and international laws and regulations govern the collection, use, retention,sharing and security of consumer data. The existing privacy-related laws and regulations are evolving andsubject to potentially differing interpretations. In addition, various federal, state and foreign legislative andregulatory bodies may expand current or enact new laws regarding privacy matters. For example, recentlythere have been Congressional hearings and increased attention to the capture and use of location-basedinformation relating to users of smartphones and other mobile devices. We have posted privacy policiesand practices concerning the collection, use and disclosure of subscriber data on our websites andapplications. Several internet companies have incurred penalties for failing to abide by the representationsmade in their privacy policies and practices. In addition, several states have adopted legislation that

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requires businesses to implement and maintain reasonable security procedures and practices to protectsensitive personal information and to provide notice to consumers in the event of a security breach. Anyfailure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with our posted privacy policies or with any data-relatedconsent orders, Federal Trade Commission requirements or orders or other federal, state or internationalprivacy or consumer protection-related laws, regulations or industry self-regulatory principles could resultin claims, proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others or other liabilities, whichcould adversely affect our business. In addition, a failure or perceived failure to comply with industry

standards or with our own privacy policies and practices could result in a loss of subscribers or merchantsand adversely affect our business. Federal, state and international governmental authorities continue toevaluate the privacy implications inherent in the use of third-party web cookies for behavioraladvertising. The regulation of these cookies and other current online advertising practices could adverselyaffect our business.

We may suffer liability as a result of information retrieved from or transmitted over the internet and claims related to

our service offerings.

We may be, and in certain cases have been, sued for defamation, civil rights infringement, negligence,patent, copyright or trademark infringement, invasion of privacy, personal injury, product liability, breachof contract, unfair competition, discrimination, antitrust or other legal claims relating to information that ispublished or made available on our websites or service offerings we make available (including provision ofan application programming interface platform for third parties to access our website, mobile deviceservices and geolocation applications). This risk is enhanced in certain jurisdictions outside the UnitedStates, where our liability for such third-party actions may be less clear and we may be less protected. Inaddition, we could incur significant costs in investigating and defending such claims, even if we ultimatelyare not found liable. If any of these events occurs, our net income could be materially and adverselyaffected.

We are subject to risks associated with information disseminated through our websites andapplications, including consumer data, content that is produced by our editorial staff and errors oromissions related to our product offerings. Such information, whether accurate or inaccurate, may result inour being sued by our merchants, subscribers or third parties and as a result our revenue and goodwillcould be materially and adversely affected.

Our business depends on our ability to maintain and scale the network infrastructure necessary to operate our

websites and applications, and any significant disruption in service on our websites or applications could result in a

loss of subscribers, customers or merchants.

Subscribers access our deals through our websites and applications. Our reputation and ability toacquire, retain and serve our subscribers and customers are dependent upon the reliable performance ofour websites and applications and the underlying network infrastructure. As our subscriber base and theamount of information shared on our websites and applications continue to grow, we will need anincreasing amount of network capacity and computing power. We have spent and expect to continue tospend substantial amounts on data centers and equipment and related network infrastructure to handle thetraffic on our websites and applications. The operation of these systems is expensive and complex andcould result in operational failures. In the event that our subscriber base or the amount of traffic on our

websites and applications grows more quickly than anticipated, we may be required to incur significantadditional costs. Interruptions in these systems, whether due to system failures, computer viruses orphysical or electronic break-ins, could affect the security or availability of our websites and applications,and prevent our subscribers from accessing our services. A substantial portion of our networkinfrastructure is hosted by third-party providers. Any disruption in these services or any failure of theseproviders to handle existing or increased traffic could significantly harm our business. Any financial orother difficulties these providers face may adversely affect our business, and we exercise little control overthese providers, which increases our vulnerability to problems with the services they provide. If we do notmaintain or expand our network infrastructure successfully or if we experience operational failures, we

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could lose current and potential subscribers and merchants, which could harm our operating results andfinancial condition.

Our business depends on the development and maintenance of the internet infrastructure.

The success of our services will depend largely on the development and maintenance of the internetinfrastructure. This includes maintenance of a reliable network backbone with the necessary speed, data

capacity and security, as well as timely development of complementary products, for providing reliableinternet access and services. The internet has experienced, and is likely to continue to experience,significant growth in the number of users and amount of traffic. The internet infrastructure may be unableto support such demands. In addition, increasing numbers of users, increasing bandwidth requirements orproblems caused by viruses, worms, malware and similar programs may harm the performance of theinternet. The backbone computers of the internet have been the targets of such programs. The internet hasexperienced a variety of outages and other delays as a result of damage to portions of its infrastructure,and it could face outages and delays in the future. These outages and delays could reduce the level ofinternet usage generally as well as the level of usage of our services, which could adversely impact ourbusiness.

We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property rights or may be accused of infringing intellectual

property rights of third parties.

We regard our subscriber list, trademarks, service marks, copyrights, patents, trade dress, tradesecrets, proprietary technology and similar intellectual property as critical to our success, and we rely ontrademark, copyright and patent law, trade secret protection and confidentiality and/or license agreementswith our employees and others to protect our proprietary rights. Effective intellectual property protectionmay not be available in every country in which our deals are made available. We also may not be able toacquire or maintain appropriate domain names or trademarks in all countries in which we do business.Furthermore, regulations governing domain names may not protect our trademarks and similar proprietaryrights. We may be unable to prevent third parties from acquiring and using domain names that are similarto, infringe upon or diminish the value of our trademarks and other proprietary rights. We may be unableto prevent third parties from using and registering our trademarks, or trademarks that are similar to, ordiminish the value of, our trademark in some countries.

We may not be able to discover or determine the extent of any unauthorized use of our proprietaryrights. Third parties that license our proprietary rights also may take actions that diminish the value of ourproprietary rights or reputation. The protection of our intellectual property may require the expenditure ofsignificant financial and managerial resources. Moreover, the steps we take to protect our intellectualproperty may not adequately protect our rights or prevent third parties from infringing or misappropriatingour proprietary rights. We are currently subject to multiple litigations and disputes related to ourintellectual property and service offerings. We may in the future be subject to additional litigation anddisputes. The costs of supporting such litigation and disputes are considerable, and there can be noassurances that favorable outcomes will be obtained.

We are currently subject to third-party claims that we infringe their proprietary rights or trademarksand expect to be subject to additional claims in the future. Such claims, whether or not meritorious, mayresult in the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources, injunctions against us or the

payment of damages by us. We may need to obtain licenses from third parties who allege that we haveinfringed their rights, but such licenses may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. These riskshave been amplified by the increase in third parties wh

Groupon Prospectus

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