What Itison does

Itison is a Glasgow-headquartered daily deals and events marketplace founded in 2010, operating across Scotland and North of England. The company connects 1.5-1.7 million member households with discounted vouchers and tickets across restaurants, hotels, activities, spa treatments, and events through its itison.com website and native iOS/Android mobile applications with paperless voucher functionality. Beyond third-party merchant deals, Itison produces and operates a portfolio of proprietary signature events including GlasGLOW, Drive-in Movies, and Elfingrove, which together attract over 300,000 attendees annually. The company also wholly owns and operates three hospitality venues in Glasgow: Sloans (Glasgow's oldest bar, established 1797), Brel (Belgian bar/restaurant on Ashton Lane), and Maggie's Rock'n'Rodeo (Scotland's first country-themed bar).

Revenue is generated through four primary streams: platform commissions from merchant deal vouchers, tiered customer service fees ranging from £0.49 to £9.49 depending on order value, ticket sales for proprietary events, and direct food, beverage, and event hire revenue from the three owned venues. The go-to-market model is product-led growth through a digital marketplace, supported by curated deal discovery, multi-channel social engagement (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), email marketing, and a Trustpilot-validated 4.7/5 customer experience. The company serves a horizontal mix of consumer and merchant segments, with a charitable arm (itison us) that donates vouchers to local charities and has raised over £3 million for Social Bite since 2014. Oli Norman serves as CEO, MD, and Founder, and Itison Limited operates as a privately held Scottish company with no disclosed institutional funding across six offices and 300+ employees.

Name

Itison

Legal name

ITISON Ltd.

Website

https://itison.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Itison is a Glasgow-based daily deals and events marketplace serving 1.5-1.7 million households across Scotland and North of England, combining discount vouchers, proprietary events like GlasGLOW, and three wholly-owned Glasgow hospitality venues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Deal Vouchers: Platform commissions from merchants for selling vouchers/deals. Customers purchase vouchers at discounted rates and merchants fulfill the services.
2. Service Fees: Service fees charged to customers based on order value, ranging from £0.49 to £9.49 depending on transaction size. These cover customer support and platform operations.
3. Event Tickets: Ticket sales for proprietary events including GlasGLOW, Drive-in Movies, and Elfingrove. Over 300,000 event-goers attend annually.
4. Venue Operations: Direct ownership and operation of 3 Glasgow venues including Sloans, Brel, and Maggie's Rock'n'Rodeo, generating revenue from food, beverage, and event hire.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Itison operates a daily deals and events marketplace platform (itison.com) connecting 1.5–1.7 million Scottish and Northern English households with discounted vouchers redeemable at local businesses including restaurants, hotels, spas, and activity providers. The company also runs three owned Glasgow hospitality venues (Sloans, Brel, Maggie's Rock'n'Rodeo) and produces proprietary events such as GlasGLOW and Drive-in Movies. Customers access curated deals with average savings of 50% via the website and native mobile applications with paperless voucher functionality.

Product overview

Itison is a multi-platform experience marketplace comprising a core daily deals and events platform (itison.com), a mobile app, and three owned hospitality venues. The platform serves 1.5 million members with vouchers for dining, hotels, activities, spa treatments, and events, while also creating proprietary events like GlasGLOW and Drive-in Movies that attract 300,000+ attendees annually. The business operates an integrated model combining marketplace services (Deals Service, Events Service), mobile applications, charitable initiatives (itison us), and owned venue operations (Sloans, Brel, Maggie's Rock'n'Rodeo).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GlasGLOW: Spectacular annual lighting event created by itison that attracts visitors annually.
• itison Drive-In Movies

Products and services

• itison.com Deals Platform Scotland's leading daily deals and events marketplace platform connecting 1.5 million members with discounted experiences at local businesses, offering vouchers for restaurants, hotels, activities, spa treatments, and events across categories including Food & Drink, Getaways, Spa & Beauty, Activities, and Events.
• Events Service Ticketing service allowing users to purchase tickets for events promoted on the platform, including concerts, shows, festivals, weddings, beauty masterclasses, and signature Itison-owned events.
• Deals Service Voucher service for promotional deals from third-party merchants, allowing users to purchase discounted vouchers redeemable for goods and services including dining, hotel stays, spa treatments, and activities.
• itison Mobile App Native iOS and Android mobile application enabling users to browse, book, and manage vouchers on the go, with paperless voucher functionality for in-store redemption.
• Gift Cards Gift card service allowing users to purchase and gift itison vouchers for dining, activities, and experiences across Scotland and North of England.
• Postal Gifting Service Postal gifting service featuring beautifully printed and packaged gifts with 11 wallet designs, delivered first class with personalization options for recipients.
• GlasGLOW Itison-created spectacular annual lighting event in Glasgow, part of the company's signature owned events portfolio that contributes to the 300,000+ annual event attendance.
• Drive-in Movies Itison-created drive-in movie experience and signature event that contributes to the over 300,000 event-goers attending itison events annually across Scotland.
• Sloans Glasgow's oldest bar and restaurant (operating since 1797), set over three floors with a Grand Ballroom, events programme including ceilidhs, and an outdoor heated courtyard; one of three itison-operated venues.
• Brel Magical Belgian-themed restaurant and bar in Glasgow's West End Ashton Lane featuring a voted-UK's-best garden with heated indoor/outdoor dining and a converted stables bar; one of three itison-operated venues.
• Maggie's Rock'n'Rodeo Scotland's first country-themed bar featuring a mechanical bucking bronco, live music, sports screenings, American BBQ food, and food service until 3am; one of three itison-operated venues.

Quantifiable outcome

• Save up to 65% on hotel stays and restaurant dining
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• TrustpilotminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTrustpilot provides review platform for customer feedback. Itison maintains 4.7/5 stars from over 20,000 reviews, displayed on the website to build consumer trust.
• Apple (App Store)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributoritison app distributed through Apple App Store for iOS users, enabling mobile access to deals and vouchers.
• Google (Google Play)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributoritison app distributed through Google Play Store for Android users, enabling mobile access to deals and vouchers.
• Social BitecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual partnership with Social Bite homeless charity. itison has raised over £3 million since 2014 through various initiatives, including annual Christmas campaigns. Every Christmas the team teams up with Social Bite to help feed the homeless.
• Local Charities (itison us)coreStrategic or Co-development Partneritison us programme supports local charities by donating vouchers for fundraising or respite. Businesses donate vouchers which itison matches to charities who need them most. Supports local communities across all regions itison operates in.
• YSL Beauty / Armani / Lancôme (L'Oréal)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLuxury beauty brands partner for masterclass events at House of Fraser, providing products and expertise for exclusive customer experiences.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Buyagift: UK experience-day gift voucher retailer offering dining, spa, getaway and activity vouchers. Comparable in product (redemption vouchers at merchant partners), customer base (gifters, couples), and pricing model to itison's gift card and deals business.
• Groupon: Global pioneer of the daily deals model; operates a UK marketplace in the same dining, leisure and travel deal categories as itison. Same revenue mechanics (merchant commissions + customer service fees) and similar voucher-based product, making it the most cited competitive benchmark.
• Wowcher: UK-focused daily deals and vouchers marketplace covering dining, getaways, beauty, and activities. Closely aligned business model: merchant-funded discounts, customer service fees, voucher redemption, with overlapping merchant categories to itison.
• Red Letter Days: UK-based experience gift retailer offering experience days and short breaks. Same experience-voucher marketplace model with comparable merchants and target customers as itison's voucher business.
• Virgin Experience Days: UK experiences marketplace for giftable experiences, dining, short breaks, and days out. Overlaps directly with itison's getaways, dining and event categories, with similar merchant commission economics and customer demographic.

Broad incumbents

• Booking.com: Global OTA dominant in hotel stays and experiences. Overlaps with itison's 'Getaways' category (hotel stays, leisure access) where itison features listings from Macdonald Drumossie, Leonardo Royal, Radisson Blu and similar properties.
• OpenTable: Global restaurant reservation and deals platform. Competes with itison on the dining deal and discovery layer, particularly via 'Now Dining' real-time offers, though it operates at scale across the UK whereas itison is Scotland-dominant.
• Eventbrite: Global ticketing platform with broad event organiser base including in Scotland (used by itison for the Glasgow Wedding Show). Adjacent competitor for ticketed events rather than deep merchant deals, but increasingly overlapping on experience ticketing.
• Amazon Local: Amazon's deal and voucher offering for UK consumers, including dining and experience deals. Competes indirectly in the same consumer voucher category, with broader reach but lower local Scotland focus.

Emerging players

• Fever: Global experiences and events marketplace with proprietary and third-party event inventory. Comparable in ticketed-events arena (GlasGLOW/Drive-in Movies), with stronger tech/data capabilities but thinner UK regional penetration.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/itisoncom
• Facebookfacebook.com/itisonglasgow
• Instagraminstagram.com/itison
• TikToktiktok.com/@itisonglasgow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/itison

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Itison