eCommerce Group Ordering and Buying Groups for Auction eCommerce

Auctions attract a variety of prospects, so it stands to reason that people may want to interact in a variety of ways, including group bidding or group ordering. Group ordering is mainly done by buying groups, or group purchasing organizations (GPOs), which are mainly composed of members from small to mid-sized businesses.

For auction eCommerce, group ordering adds another level to the types of bids and auctions that take place. Group buying in certain types of auctions allows bidders to get volume discounts, but because it’s still an auction, there is some amount of uncertainty about what the final price will be.

With even a small amount of doubt already in place, any obstacle users have to overcome to place their bids (such as a difficult UI/UX) may result in them getting frustrated and bouncing. That’s why it’s so important to make sure their experience goes smoothly, so they can easily place their bids without the any added worries.

Your Auction Site Without Group Ordering

While price is certainly a deciding factor that lures people and businesses to eCommerce websites, the features it offers can be just as enticing. Group ordering can provide a steady stream of revenue for you, and the buying group will guide new businesses to your site as soon as they join the group.

If you don’t open yourself up to group orders, you’re automatically excluding swaths of businesses that order exclusively through their buying group. After all, if the buying group gets them a better price and customized service, why would they go anywhere else?

The Benefits of Preparing for Buying Groups

The benefits of a group buying platform are many. Once you and the buying group’s negotiator settle on a price for tiers of sales, the selling process is fairly hands-off as the orders come to you. Here are some of the most common features and advantages you could realize by implementing a group buying function tailored to your needs.

Experienced Buying Group Developers

We’ve detailed some of the most common uses for group buying on an eCommerce platform, but that doesn’t mean you should be limited by what you see. Implementing a robust and flexible solution to your ERP, CRM, or other back-office software can take many forms, all dependent on the current—and future—needs of your business.

We’d love to hear what your ambitions are for buying groups and how you can one-up your competition with the most user-friendly options available (for both you and your customers). Clarity has provided many of our clients with the latest buying group solutions, and we’re ready to demo what we can do for you. Contact us for a free discovery session with a detailed business plan you can take with you...whether you end up working with us or not.