Can we devise a shopping model that eliminates credit card requirement for online shopping? If so, could it be a real boon to the countries, especially developing countries, where the credit card industry is in its infant stage? In such a condition, can it accelerate the growth of online buying through the internet in those countries? If such a model encourages the local businesses too, wouldn’t be an innovative model even in developed countries?
Social Networking + On-line Shopping = New Shopping model
All these above questions can be answered by blending two internet-world key words: Social Networking and Internet Shopping. Each one of them in their own respect is currently leading the human community to a new era of information management. Innovatively using the various flavors of social networking ideas through internet may certainly lead us to more productivity and better life style. By combining social-networking and shopping online, we can mold a new shopping model and show the world a new way to make the group bargains powerful. Bargains could be performed by customers themselves, for themselves. There is no need for inventory with online-vendors or not even the drop shipping. Then, let’s see how it is made possible.
How the new shopping model works?
Let us assume that we a have a web platform that enables people to get formed into small groups targeting towards buying specific products. Upon formation of such groups, we can allow the people in those groups to represent their own and bargain their prices from their local stores. Instead of bargaining for one, let them bargain for ten. This certainly empowers them to deal with the sellers from a better bargaining seat with bold voice. Assume further that the group is virtual and the selected shopper-representatives need not worry about who are in their groups. Don’t you think they will be much bolder and non-hesitant to exercise their own style of bargaining? This is where this shopping concept looks much philosophical and blends people closely into their bargains.
In short:
1. Aggregate buying intentions into bargain-potential groups. Key factor: a group stands for a specific product and all its members are from the same city.
2. Collect quotations from the randomly chosen group members for their respective groups. Each group will have its own pool of quotes submitted by their group members, collected from their choice of local stores.
3. Web platform Evaluates and picks the best quotes from the pools and serves them back to their respective groups.
How to integrate local businesses into internet online shopping world?
Now the question of “how this is going to boost the local businesses?” arises. It is very obvious that people don’t travel too long for buying. Most of the times they tend to buy from their local stores for various reasons. They may stretch out a little more but not too much. I propose this model to restrict the formation of groups to the city level or a little broader geographical entity such as county and districts. We will accept the quotes from the people from their own cities and the groups will be formed only from the same cities.
Developing Countries and New Shopping Model
As alluded in the title, this new model can well be fitted into developing economies without letting their local businesses be stolen by internet world. The countries like, India, Indonesia, China, Brazil, Mid-East, etc could get benefited from this new shopping model. They can utilize the power of online social networking cleverly for forming the groups, generating efficiently bargained competitive quotations by shoppers themselves, evaluating them, and communicating between members, groups and vendors, etc. Every task in the entire shopping cycle is done on internet except the final and actual buying part. This removes certain problems such as credit card issues, deviations between what we saw online and what we got, and warranties, trust levels in case of large price transactions, and immature behaviors and attitudes towards internet buying. The new shopping concept liberate developing countries and encourage them to engage into online shopping with free mind, as the new model is really a trimmed version of current practices.
A philosophical tinge to new Shopping model
Think about the people’s innate desires of attaining something through their own efforts. As we study in sociology about the fact of human beings realizing themselves through their own creations. Any item bought cheaper through some one’s bargaining always stay in the middle of the house as their monument of small achievement. One can always cherish their sweet memories of how they successfully brought down to cheaper price by exercising their intuitive bargain capabilities. Seeing how the people’s bargain capabilities cherish their own lives, we can think of giving importance to that in our new shopping model.
What is the role of Vendors in this new equation?
Is that all? No, we have more to add to this frame. Why shall not we allow the Sellers too to exercise their rights of participation in these deals? Let them submit their quotes too and let those quotes automatically get into bidding by paying a nominal fee to the web platform. Hey, I am now talking the business, right? After all, all I am doing here is to propose something new and establish a good business out of it. But it should benefit every one in the game. The vendors will have the advantage of being in each and every group-bidding from their cities.
About us – the first one to propose and prove its efficacies
Now, it is time to look at what is next. Please visit ShoppingReps.com which is built on these principles and it is fully functional. Give me your feedback on the concept and the platform that reflects everything we have seen so far. It has been well thought and built to offer all the functionalities we have discussed so far. As a proponent of this innovative shopping model, I would like the readers to render their criticismsScience Articles, comments and suggestions in order to enhance its adaptability.
The website offers free membership to the shoppers and vendors. It encourages shoppers to acquire quotes for themselves. The shoppers will know the size of the group and the complete product details for which they will be requested to fetch quotes from their own localities. Shoppers get their chance of testing their bargain capabilities and enjoy the benefits and fun of bargaining for a bulk order and a group. Only a few members from each group will be sought to acquire quotes. This reduces the shopping efforts that should have been made by every one if they shop alone. It saves the time of every one. This shopping platform offers many more benefits. Please witness them by your own participation into these shopping cycles.
