General Mills Groupon venture proving successful

General Mills is looking at more Groupon deals after its first foray into the collective-buying deal sold out within hours in two test markets on April 21.

Residents of Minneapolis and San Francisco were able to take advantage of a 50% off deal that delivered more than $40 in value to their doorstep for $20 on 12 General Mills products. The package, which also included a General Mills $15 coupon book, sold out within hours in the two markets.

It was the first time Groupon partnered with a consumer packaged goods company.

“We’re excited to be the first CPG company to partner with Groupon, a company respected–and known–for its ability to match buyers with sellers through innovative deals in fun, engaging ways,” said Joe Trimble, promotion marketing manager, General Mills. “General Mills continually looks for value-added promotions that will delight our brand champions and intrigue new consumers. The breakthrough partnership with Groupon enables us to expand our reach while offering meaningful value to our customers.”

Products included in the deal were: Fiber One 90-Calorie Chewy Bars, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal, Cascadian Farms Organic Cereal,  Wanchai Ferry Orange Chicken Dinner Kit, Hamburger Helper Skillet Meal Mix, Green Giant Niblets Corn, Kix Cereal, Reese's Peanut Butter Puffs Cereal, Old El Paso Tortilla Stuffers Meal Kit, Chex Mix Muddy Buddies Snack Mix, Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix and Fruit Roll-Ups Fruit-Flavored Snacks.

Groupon, launched in November 2008 in Chicago, features a daily deal on the best stuff to do, eat, see and buy in more than 500 markets around the world.