Successful business model of group buying – market analysis
If this article we will discuss the phenomenon of group buying and we will try to answer the question: is it worth to use collective buying your sales strategy.
Introduction
Group buying, also known as collective buying, offers products and services at significantly reduced prices on the condition that a minimum number of buyers would make the purchase.
The business model of such vernier-type transactions includes a combination of selling and buying, with a minimum of risk. The price the buyer gets is often the same as what he and others of his species would pay for it, and the product and/or service available at the price is usually the same as the one or a combination of the items.
The customer must be willing to pay the seller a small investment, while the value of the product and/or service offered at the time of sale is minimal. A number of vernier-like transactions may be found in the animal world.
For example, a common practice among many of the animals in many cultures is to purchase a variety of different animals, and then to keep them in herds until all are dead.
The animals are killed and eaten by humans who then sell them into the market, where they become very valuable commodities for the animals themselves, who then sell their offspring to people interested in the dead animals’ skins and fur.
The big one can afford more
The more you buy, the better the price you can negotiate. Thanks to this basic principle of trade, the biggest market tycoons built their power. Ikea, Alda, or other chains owe their position on the market to, inter alia, large orders of goods, thanks to which they can dictate price conditions to suppliers.
Large hypermarkets also operate on a similar principle, and by ordering together (often for the entire chain or a specific region of the United Kingdom), they receive greater discounts .
Groupon and others players
There are several deal sites that allows consumer to get marketing coupons and deep discounts for local merchants, national businesses, travel and other products and services. Globalization and digitization of the purchasing market popularized alternative forms of sophisticated purchasing by electronic means.
Groupon is by far the largest of the daily deal sites but there are some alternatives like: LivingSocial or Gamdroid.
Groupon has recently been making a meteoric career in the US and in the Western Europe as well. Global expansion and success encourage other players to get into that new type of business.
Many companies try to clone the idea and transfer it to the UK market. What is it all about and how can you benefit from it?
Gruopon’s idea is simple. This is a group shopping service. Here, companies sell their services and products at very high discounts, provided that the service gathers the appropriate number of buyers.
Other projects are based on the same principle where
It looks like that on the website of the website there is an advertisement with a 40% discount, for example a meal in a restaurant – but the discount will be active only when, for example, 100 people gather.
It’s important to understand that Groupon isn’t for everybody – and it isn’t meant to be. The service was designed to attract a specific demographic: young, urban professionals who want to explore their cities affordably.
The kinds of deals featured on Groupon fall squarely into the category of wants, rather than needs. They advertise products and services that you may not have otherwise tried if the price wasn’t so low.
Here are the most common types of Groupon deals:
- Restaurants and bars
- Hotels, B&Bs and getaways
- Spas and resorts
- Yoga, Pilates, spinning and assorted fitness center classes
- Hair and nail care
- Cosmetic dentistry
- Cosmetic surgical procedures
- Laundry and dry cleaning
- Classes
- On-line retailers
As it is easy to see, the common feature of the above-mentioned industries is their massiveness and universality.
Group purchases certainly do not include luxos goods, specialist equipment or very niche industries.
Wherever we have a mass customer, low margins but high turnover – group purchases will help increase turnover and boost sales.
However, is this the only advantage of group shopping?
Well no. In the case of services or products intended for a wide audience, brand recognition is decisive for success.
thanks to group purchases, we can provide our brand with greater recognition.
We don’t need to earn money from group buy customers. Our research shows that 90% of such offers are practically without profit for the entrepreneur (at cost) in the financial sense.
It is, however, something completely different.
We want to tie the customer to our product or service and we hope for a positive impression and that the customer will come back.
If the restaurant serves tasty food and provides a good atmosphere – the next time we can invite the family there for a joint dinner.
When the Spa or hotel provides high comfort, there is a great chance that we will return there soon or recommend it to our friends.
The invaluable role of social media
In the era of social media, where the average person has several dozen friends, this effect will be magnified. It is enough to put a post on facebook or Instagram when collecting a group.
The very fact of building the range in this way is very desirable for building our brand awareness.
Summary
From the point of view of the business owner – group shopping is a very good form of promoting your product and an element of the brand building strategy.
It should be noted that not all types of business will apply.
The main criterion should be a potentially large scale of business for a wide audience, i.e. retail sales of general-purpose goods, travel, services in the field of health and beauty, gastronomy, training courses on universal topics.
Lowering the price and entering a platform that offers coupons and promotions can increase overall turnover and brand recognition, which is of great importance when selling low-margin products.
I love to use groupon service and buy services in lower prices. I wish there is such great websites to buy all kinds of offers in Thailand. About The Pattaya Guide is an up-to-date guidebook to Pattaya with over 100 pages of useful information and details on things to do, where to eat, where to stay, nightlife, entertainment and much more.
My adventures are always great because I now how to get the best of my life with low cost of money. I am going to give a good share of my experience to you, so take a look on my page and see! I am a woman who wants to share her knowledge, so please come to my page and take a look. I am very excited to share my knowledge to you. I want you to learn and be blessed.
My favourite way of spending holidays is car voyagaes. I love to drive into hidden places !! And after I was driving in that very same region about 10 years ago (with my good old VW Polo and my mum) when passing by Lake Garda I saw a very, very beautiful lake surrounded with mountains and that is where this holiday started and ended 😉 Now I decided to have a new holiday and a really nice time :)) There are so much things to visit on this holiday: Bodrum – is an amazing seaside town Cherkes – A beach that is not crowded Koycegiz – A lake near the Bodrum Göcek – A beach with a big and ancient forest behind it Beach at Cherkes
We started from Sibeliogorsk so that we could drive very close to the Cherkes beach. We took the shortest way from there to Cherkes by the back roads, which is very beautiful. The town is only few kilometre from Cinaray, a village with a big and stunning mosque. The village also has a nice waterfall and is very peaceful and calm. After we had driven a bit, we arrived to the Cherkes.
And we were so astonished by the beauty that we started looking for the author’s name – and we were not disappointed. She has a name like many others: Charlotte Eriksson, born 1760 to the Danish ambassador in Stockholm, and then we found out that she was also the author of an earlier novel called “Den som vet min identitet är mitt fiender”, published in 1775. That is an early novel by a woman, and she does not look like your usual author.” Now that you have read this summary you are probably wondering how such a title could be translated into Finnish, “I do not want to share my identity with my enemies”. The Finnish name seems better translated into English as “The one who knows my identity is my enemy” or “The one who knows me is my enemy”.
Although we all want to be the subject of one who knows our identity, the Finnish translation is much better, especially since many people are looking, and looking closely, into who you are. So go ahead and translate the title into English, and add a little meaning into it. If you are looking for a more literal translation, go to the Swedish link for more information.
Alisa, my friend, I must say that your comment has left me in stitches! Not because of the content itself, but because of the sheer audacity and randomness of it all.
Firstly, let’s talk about Groupon. I’m glad you love using their service, but I have to ask, did you even read the article you’re commenting on? It’s not just about Groupon, it’s about the business model of group buying in general. And yet, your comment is all about how much you love using Groupon and how you wish there were more websites like that in Thailand.
Moving on to your “adventures” section, I’m not sure what kind of adventures you’re referring to, but it sounds like a thrilling ride! However, I do have to question the relevance of this to the article. Are you trying to distract us from the topic at hand with tales of your car voyages and visits to Lake Garda?
And then, there’s the mysterious case of Charlotte Eriksson. I’m not sure what kind of detective work you’re referring to, but it sounds like a thrilling mystery novel! Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with the article we’re discussing.
Finally, let’s talk about your “page” and how you want to share your knowledge with us. Alisa, my friend, I think you might be confusing this comment section with Facebook. This is not the place for self-promotion or sharing your personal experiences (no matter how exciting they may be).
In all seriousness, Alisa, if you’re interested in discussing group buying business models or market analysis, I’d be happy to engage with you on that topic. But let’s please stick to the article at hand and avoid the unnecessary detours into your personal adventures and detective work.
P.S. If you do decide to share your knowledge with us, I’m sure we’d all love to learn about it. But maybe consider creating a blog post or something instead of hijacking this comment section?
Alisa, my dear friend, I must say that your comment has left me in a state of utter bewilderment. On one hand, I applaud your enthusiasm for group buying services and your desire to share your experiences with others. However, on the other hand, I am struck by the sheer audacity of your self-promotion.
As I sit here, sipping my coffee and reading about the Texas Attorney General’s investigation into Maria Bartiromo’s election conspiracy theory, I am reminded that even in the world of group buying, there are those who would seek to manipulate and deceive others for their own gain. And so, I ask you, dear Alisa, what is it about your page that you wish us to behold? Is it a collection of glowing reviews from satisfied customers, or perhaps a portfolio of your most impressive car voyages?
But I digress. Your comment has also left me with a sense of melancholy, a feeling that we are all but pawns in the grand game of commerce and self-promotion. We buy and sell, we offer and take, but do we ever truly connect with one another? Or are we simply passing strangers, exchanging platitudes and shallow smiles?
And what of your page, Alisa? Is it a reflection of your true self, or merely a carefully crafted facade designed to lure in the unsuspecting and the gullible? I am reminded of the Swedish author Charlotte Eriksson, who wrote of the dangers of hiding one’s true identity behind a mask of false pretenses. Ah, but I see what you did there, Alisa. You cleverly wove a tale of adventure and self-discovery, all while promoting your own page and soliciting our attention.
But I will not be swayed by such tactics, dear Alisa. For in the end, it is not the grand gestures or the clever marketing that truly matter, but rather the quiet moments of connection and understanding that we share with one another. And so, I bid you adieu, my friend, and invite you to join me on a journey of true discovery, free from the trappings of commerce and self-promotion.
P.S. If you ever find yourself in Pattaya, do look up The Pattaya Guide. It’s an up-to-date guidebook with over 100 pages of useful information and details on things to do, where to eat, where to stay, nightlife, entertainment, and much more. But I digress…
I can sense Avery’s frustration and I respect that. However, I have to question his assumption that my comment was “random” and lacking in substance. In fact, I was trying to provide a relatable example of how group buying can be successful in everyday life, and how it relates to the article’s topic. My mention of Groupon may seem like a tangent, but I believe it serves as a useful case study for understanding the business model of group buying.