The other day I was performing my weekly grocery shopping trip. As I made my way to the paper products aisle, I couldn’t help but notice shoppers tossing obscene amounts of toilet paper into their shopping carts. Curious as to what one would do with so much toilet paper for one household, I proceeded to ask the purpose for such an odd purchase.
I learned that the customer was not just purchasing for themselves, but instead he was participating in a shopping trend called collaborative shopping.
Collaborative shopping, or group buying, was one of the biggest Web trends in 2010 according to The Trendwatch. It is the act of buying in mass quantities and then sharing the product and cost with friends.
That shopper was buying a huge package of toilet paper which would then be split up among other families, saving each family a bundle in the process.
Those who participate in collaborative shopping are not concerned with the brands they are purchasing, but instead with the cost effectiveness it provides. It is a way for families to afford household necessities, not a deal seeking high that some couponers crave.
As more and more people begin taking part in this shopping trend, there is a potential need for retailers to start catering to this demographic and increase their packaging sizes. A few stores already carry bulk items (for example, Costco and Sam’s Club), and many collaborative shoppers turn to online sites. However, as more and more stores consider offering larger packaged options, they could draw collaborative shoppers into their stores as well.
Online stores already present a great opportunity for collaborative shoppers with a single flat shipping rate. This makes it cheaper for consumers to buy in bulk online, because no matter how much they purchase, they still pay the same amount for shipping.
As of now, those participating in collaborative shopping are usually a part of a renting community and fall into the middle-income group. Yet, with the advent of social media, the collaboration possibilities are endless. This year, we’ve already seen the first CPG company experiment with Groupon, the famed group buying website. We may begin seeing collaborative shopping branch away from just being families and friends, to purchasing together with social media followers and friends.
