One might argue that the concepts of “flash sales” and “daily deals” are very new concepts, but they have been working well for over a decade online. The recent attention is based on the incredible influx of users that has turned the retail cottage industry into a mega-business model of its own. Sites like Groupon and Living Social have been making the biggest splash in the last couple of years. The concept of short-term, group buying deal making is translating into niche industries such as Mighty Deals for web professionals and Dealers United for car dealers. In this infographic, we explore the…

The concept of “Factory Outlets” was a brilliant one. For better or for worse, they are dying a rapid death thanks to the internet and the rise of “Flash Sales” in particular. Originally, factory outlets were designed to sell 2nd-grade products directly to the public. The first known outlet store was Dexter Shoes. Founder Harold Alfond knew that not every shoe made at his factory was suitable to sell to distributors so he attached a store directly to his factory and opened it to the public in the 1960s. Since then, outlet malls and other retail settings offer companies a venue to sell last year’s lines,…