The value that SpendHBD brings both to local businesses and buyers is huge. This is the reason I think of more ways to highlight this value and present it as a powerful reason to make anyone want to be part of SpendHBD. I hereby propose an idea I called Shoppers Konnect Nigeria (ShoKiN), a group shopping initiative which is designed to promote SpendHBD in a special way.
3 Reasons for ShoKiN
Before I go straight into at least 3 reasons why ShoKiN would be a fine and innovative way to promote SpendHBD, let me explain what it is all about.
ShoKiN is simply a network of buyers that Spend HBD as they visit listed shops and businesses. They are actually normal participants of the SpendHBD project in a city. However, what makes it unique is that they periodically shop as a group. So basically, there is at least 1 day in a week when they come together in a group and buy from 1 or 2 listed shops.
I believe that ShoKiN will be an innovative idea to make SpendHBD even more valuable for all participants - both shoppers and businesses. So here are 3 reasons why shopping as a group from time to time would make sense:
- Consistent and repeat purchasing: Shops and businesses need to sell. They want customers that always come back to buy again. This is how a business creates special connection and relationship with buyers. With ShoKiN, there will always be a day in the week when members go back to a shop they have been before as a group to purchase again. Businesses and shop owners would love that consistency and repetitive purchasing.
Besides this, the SpendHBD project wants users to always be consistent in using HBD as their main curency to buy stuffs. After all, shopping is something done regular as home supplies diminish. With ShoKiN, there is a kind of steadiness and consistency in how members buy. Apart from their personal shopping trips, ShoKiN members shop as a group at least once every week. That is how to create some sort of consistency.
- Creating huge sales in one transaction: I vividly remember the day I conducted my first SoendHBD Workshop and 35 persons spent at least $4 each across two shops. It was a massive sales experience for the two shops involved. At the end of the day, they both sold $140 (around 240,000 naira) worth of goods in a space of 1 hour from 35 buyers. For a small business in this part of the world, thats massive sales. Take note that 35 persons bought at once, thats what a group can do when they shop together. And thats another value that ShoKiN would bring.
Now I magine that ShoKiN will rapidly grow in membership. Maybe from a modest number initially to 30, 60, 80, and perhaps, 100 shoppers and more. Such a massive number visiting a string of businesses at a time would create huge sales in a single transaction. Businesses would appreciate it because they exist to sell. Grand Options and Romey Everyday supermarket were similarly overjoyed with the 35 shoppers that came to buy at a time. I am hoping to repeat such experiences both for businesses and shoppers.
One benefit of massive sales is that a shop might give its own price discount because of the bulk purchases from a large crowd. So shoppers have another incentive to buy more.
- Creating the largest buyers network: This is another benefit i thought of for ShoKiN. Shopping could become another vehicle for business networking. Shoppers become close friends and can build great connections. There is always a potential for getting to know people and meeting opportunities when a group comes together. That is another great gain that members of ShoKiN would enjoy.
Another benefit is that it helps to market the SpendHBD project easily. For example when listing a new shop, we can let them know that we will bring them customers. With an organized shopping group, that is very possible and makes sense. Almost every shop would be happy to know that you are bringing them 20 customers next week. So there will be no reason not to start accepting HBD immediately.
Finally, we can implement crowdfunded purchasing of costly items which the group can share between them. Bulk purchases often save money than small-packaged items. So ShoKiN members could decide to pull resources and purchase bags of onions, rice, tomatoes, or other items bulky purchases. Then it will be fairly shared among all contributors. In this way, they are able to leverage the power of a crowd to make purchases that individuals might not be able to fund alone. For this, ShoKiN will likely have its own account for group-funded purchasing in the future.
Finally
There could be other reasons why group shopping might make sense. Maybe I will learn more from the comments that our friends would make on this post. If there is good response, then I will launch ShoKiN sometime next week and we kickoff in full force. I really hope and believe that ShoKiN will deliver results and create a new shopping experience that only a crowd could bring.
What do you think about this idea friends? Are you for ShoKiN? Let me know in the comment section.