The power of crowds: collaborative consumer buying
Stumble It!Paul Sweeney, European Marketing Director at voicesage reports that in China, the newest shopping craze is tuangou, or team buying, and it uses the aggregating power of the web and creates flash mobs focussed on creating bargains. Here's a taster…
Typically, shoppers looking for the same items find each other online, then band together offline to negotiate special deals on electronics, home furnishings, and automobiles. Some team buyers approach store managers beforehand, others simply show up and flex their collective muscle.
Bargaining is a way of life in China. Shoppers treat sticker prices as a starting point for negotiations, and it's a point of pride to strike a tough bargain or walk away if unhappy.
To read the full article China's newest shopping craze: 'team buying' in the Christian Science Monitor.
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Bioteams Books Reviews
When not to collaborate
A team of one is sometimes best. It might sound like heresy but sometimes the most effective way to produce something is not through collaboration. Collaboration is best for tasks which cannot be fully achieved by a single person – if a job can be completed best by one person then to collaborate to do it will only make it worse.
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