A Kosher Twist On Group Deal Coupon

Have you heard of Groupon — the group deal coupon you buy on the Internet?

Well, now there’s Jewpon.

Zalmi Duchman, founder and chief executive of the Fresh Diet, is launching Jewpon.com this month, offering deals in six cities: Miami, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Jerusalem and Toronto.

The deals will be geared toward kosher clientele, with coupons from local kosher restaurants and Judaica stores, as well as holiday deals on travel and items such as matzoh.

“There are so many Jewish holidays,” Duchman said. “So we believe holidays alone will really drive business, especially if we have good deals.”

In fact, to find deals, Jewpon will look to anyone in the community who wants to offer a product — even Jewish accountants and dentists who may want to offer their services.

Duchman got the idea for Jewpon from using Groupon and seeing how it could translate to niche markets. Being an Orthodox Jew, that was the first community that came to mind, he said. His partners in the Jewpon business are Ray Willig, the Fresh Diet’s chief technology officer, and Duchman’s brother Ezzy.

“If we do this one right, we are stepping in the door, and then we can do another specific demographic deal,” Duchman said.

Jewpon’s revenue will come from businesses paying it a percentage of what they charge on the deal — probably at least 20 or 25 percent, Duchman said. A certain number of buyers will be required. Advertising on the Jewpon site can also bring in additional funds.

Building up its e-mail list to send to consumers will be key. To boost its list, Jewpon plans to advertise on sites frequented by Orthodox Jews, such as www.onlysimchas.com, www.jdate.com, www.crownheights.info, and www.vosizneias.com, Duchman said.

Jewpon also plans to team up with synagogues and schools to gain access to their e-mail lists, offering a percentage donation from every purchase. And it will also use social network sites like Facebook and Twitter to reach the Jewish community, he said.

The goal, Duchman said, is to collect 20,000 to 30,000 e-mail addresses among all the cities in three months, and as many as 100,000 in a year.

“The collective buying power really does work,” Duchman said. “Jews have been doing that for thousands of years. Now we’re just going to be doing it officially.”