Buy net and magical inventory time

Group purchase, both through the effective accumulation of purchases in exchange for maximum discount for the collective retail purchase behavior. This article refers to the group purchase, is specifically the use of e-commerce to achieve, that is, the domestic entrepreneur "copy" more than 1000 times Groupon Group purchase mode. Group buying site is one of the forms of E-commerce, the introduction of a special event every day, each group purchase items have the lowest number of restrictions, and take a limited time to buy the way to create a buying atmosphere.

Group buying website is destined to be one of the core keywords of China Internet 2010. As of October, the total number of domestic group purchase site set up a breakthrough of 1000, but really how many can survive in the future, and develop and grow, have word-of-mouth effect? The main also look at the details of the grasp, as well as a deep understanding of the core business. To make good use of the inventory time is an important embodiment of the core value of group buying mode.

From the domestic situation, more than 40% of the group buying activities are catering, the other 30% is entertainment, less than 10% from physical goods or other. The data proves that the model of group purchase website is more suitable for local life service, especially the high frequency and low total price service category.

The core demand of group buying consumers is ultra-low discounts, they often do not have too clear consumption purposes, most of the "pick cheap" mentality to Amoy goods. For example, in the newspaper, Miss Wang in Wuhan is free at the weekend hoping to have a party with her friends, but she doesn't want to do anything. So she went to buy a website to start Amoy, overview of a number of site activities, after a look at KTV, cinemas, Sichuan cuisine, massage and other activities, these activities are in her view the most cost-effective, the highest cost-effective. So, at the suggestion of friends, finally chose Sichuan flavor hotpot, such a purchase order will be produced.

Further investigation found that the group buying consumers before opening the Web page, there are different degrees of psychological cues, more than a certain discount things have a psychological resistance. It seems that more than 50 percent of the stuff, no matter what it sells, tends to be less than ideal. And what is the avatar that allows businesses to offer a 10 percent-50 percent discount? What is the value of the business of hundreds of yuan worth of 20 percent-30 percent cheap to sell to consumers? The answer is magical inventory time.

Inventory time is a traditional concept in service marketing. The marketing point of view is that inventory time in the service industry does not create profits, but it will produce an equal amount of cost characteristics. In the service breakdown industry, there is a large number of inventory time, street-side common paper coupons, discounts and other promotional forms, most of the business in order to sell inventory time to carry out marketing activities. Therefore, the use of inventory time to truly play the net value of group buying.

Take the restaurant as an example: Beijing Guomao Wai Soho has many restaurants, the main customer base is Soho to work white-collar workers, working days these restaurant business is very hot, but the week of Six Sunday or holiday is a lot worse, some restaurant's turnover even less than 10% of the working day; instead, restaurants near residential and large communities, From Monday to Friday noon became inventory time.

In the life service industry, there are inventory times that meet the business characteristics. In these times, business turnover plummeted, but the cost will not fall.

Often patronize a KTV, Zhou Six Sunday 7:00-13:00, few people sing, often empty out a lot of private rooms, and 14:00 to 1:00 the situation is completely different, active door-to-door consumers still need long queues waiting. For such a store, will the business of their own prime time to send out the group buy it cheaply? If the business representatives of the group buying site talk about cooperation, should focus on the morning inventory time, this period of time is obviously more suitable for organizing group buying activities. Businesses can use this form of group buying, the inventory time effectively consumed, and thus diluted unit costs, improve the overall profitability level. When you really meet the needs of the business, we can guarantee the customer's preferential prices and service quality.

Recently, the complaint became the hot topic of group buying: too long, shrinking service, false original price, hidden consumption is the highest frequency of complaints four. One of the important reasons for this kind of dispute is that the wrong occupation of the merchant's non-stock time. The reason is called prime time or not inventory times, means that this period of business is not a shortage of customers, buy to the "value" discount if used in this time, and the interests of the business to maximize contradictions, will inevitably bring a lot of scheduling, shrinking services, hidden consumption problems. Look at the overall situation, group buying site if not understand the industry, do not recognize the inventory time and the characteristics of inventory time, it is tantamount to constantly creating such contradictions and frictions, it is bound to cause a proliferation of complaints, and ultimately destroy the entire group buying industry's credibility.

October 9, Beijing glutinous Rice Regiment activities, selling is a very cheap bowling card, as shown in Figure 01. This is a relatively clear on the inventory time of successful marketing. The same price, at busy time (not inventory time) and leisure (inventory time) to enjoy a completely different services. At leisure can play 4 innings, busy only can play 2 innings, and consumers need to pay is exactly the same. The interests of the business and the interests of consumers have been the maximization of unity. I believe that such activities will not have too many complaints.

Fig. 01 The Service list of glutinous Rice Regiment

Although there are the above cases, but the whole-time service or domestic group purchase site of the absolute mainstream form, there seems to be no inventory of the concept of timing, even the concept of time! In fact, the site party has a very important intermediary role and responsibility: on the one hand, to let the supply and demand through E-commerce close docking, on the other hand, to properly guide the business and consumers to make reasonable expectations. A good group buying site is able to guide the business (supply) and consumer (demand) expectations, interests, needs to achieve complete unity!

Group buying site has just begun, there is a long way to develop, the current form is too elementary and simple. The future of the mature Group purchase service, should be a profound understanding of the real needs of both sides, and can be in service to make subdivision, industry and localization of innovation. Pay attention to and use the stock time of the merchant, is our first step to do the innovation Service of group purchase!