Private Sale Clubs Go Local

Social commerce site Ideeli, the US private sale club and Gilt competitor, has just launched ideelACCESS – a group-buy service for off-site (non-Ideeli) deals (press release). The first deal offered by ideelACCESS is with Spa Chakra, a chain of spas in New York, Marina Del Rey, San Francisco, Chicago, and Indianapolis.

Like Groupon, ideelACCESS deals only become active once enough people sign up for them, and like Groupon, what you pay for is an email coupon that can be redeemed at a local establishment.

IdeelACCESS is an interesting spin on rival Gilt’s recent opening of Gilt City for city-based deals (currently New York only – TechCrunch video below). Without being tied to a particular city, IdeelACCESS will allow Ideeli to offer national deals, as well as local or online, and perhaps evolve into a super hub for deals with exclusive customizable feeds for its members.

This could be very attractive to brands looking to seed new products and create buzz. Worth following.