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Groupon and smartDIGITAL are announcing a partnership that will ultimately roll out real-time Groupon deals at hundreds of multi-touch kiosks around Chicago. SmartDigital CEO George Burciaga shows how a kiosk works. | Rich Hein~Sun-Times

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Updated: January 25, 2012 7:45AM

Deal seekers will have a new way to find Groupon coupons on Wednesday, when Groupons start appearing on 30 kiosks with touchscreen displays that people use to share photos and find transportation, restaurants and nearby events throughout Chicago.

The Groupon deals will be targeted to each kiosk's location, so that a daily deal at a Navy Pier kiosk could include a discount for the IMAX Theatre, while those at the Soldier Field kiosk could offer a deal for a youth sporting event.

The kiosks, with 32- and 46-inch touchscreens, will offer Groupon's daily deals, Groupon Now!, limited-time offers and Groupon Getaways travel deals. Users may pay for the Groupons with a credit card or can email or Facebook them to themselves to consider later.

The expanded Groupon access -- the number of the so-called SmartKiosks will grow to 100 by March -- stems from Groupon's partnership with SmartDigital, a two-year-old, nine-employee South Loop business that aims to offer free, accessible interactive technology.

No financial terms were disclosed.

Groupon spokeswoman Julie Mossler said, "We think the kiosk partnership offers a fun way to get great, relevant Groupon deals while you're out exploring Chicago."

George Burciaga, the 36-year-old CEO and founder of SmartDigital who was raised by his grandparents in the Pilsen neighborhood, sees the kiosks and their expanding capabilities as a way to help bridge the digital divide that separates technology haves and have-nots.

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