Crowd clout & Japanese auto parts

We’ve featured group purchase facilitators in the past, from Chinese Taobao to Malaysian Tumpang. A new start-up from Sydney is cleverly focusing on a product niche: parts for Japanese performance cars, aimed at owners with a keen passion for modifying, tuning and styling their vehicles. Every month, Auto Group Buy features a limited range of parts that are up for group buying. Customers register their interest, and if there are enough potential buyers by the end of the registration period, the parts are ordered directly from manufacturers in Japan. Prices are said to be about 10 – 15% lower than retail. Focusing on a niche makes sense when it comes to group buying: it’s easier to hone in on potential buyers through special interest websites, and the products on offer might not be readily available or competitively priced elsewhere. For more on the larger trend of consumer grouping online for a specific cause, from bringing down politicians to forcing suppliers to fork over discounts, check out trendwatching.com’s crowd clout briefing. Spotted by: Nathan Curtis