Groupon Has Successful Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Shares Rise

Over 650,000 Groupon's were sold between Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the holiday store Grouponicus, according to a company blog post by Chief Executive Officer Andrew Mason on Wednesday.

Mason pointed out that this is an increase of 500 percent from last year.

The CEO made his blog post after the Chicago-based daily-deals company had completed its quiet period following its initial public offering. Between the times the company registers to go public and about 25 days after its IPO, the Securities and Exchange Commission restricts what a company can reveal to the public regarding company finances and operations.

We're back to communicating like a normal company again...well, as normal as we can muster at Groupon, Mason wrote.

Companies such as Groupon and LivingSocial are trying to get into the holiday shopping action. One in 10 Internet users plan to buy holiday gifts at either Groupon or LivingSocial this year, according to data analytics firm comScore. This number is up from 4 percent in 2010.

Groupon stock has had a tumultuous ride following its IPO. Shares of Groupon closed Thursday at 18.95, up 8.29 percent but still below the $20 IPO price.