Caveat Vendor.
The vendor's information premium has been eroded. In many markets, suppliers have responded with price deflation and, as I've written before, this can be adapted as a marketing tool. But what if the customers mobilise?
Sig alerts me to this fascinating display of consumer-mobbing from China and posits some interesting ways to exploit it. I'm not sure how his suggestion differs from online wholesaling or a more formal version of price-drop tv or, indeed, why the vendors shouldn't collectively refuse to bow to this pressure, but it certainly crystallises the rise of the informed customer.
posted by john dodds @ 6:13 AM
2 Comments:
John, you're right - I think the idea could end up like a online wholesaler!
The difference would be that it could enter the market in a sneaky way, outmaneuvering their competitors and expanding the online wholesale concept by giving it a twist that people understand in practice... "hey if we gang up we could get real discount!"
Or not, the diff would be that they have the infrastructure (warehouses, support and showrooms) for free - using the existing stores as they are.
If the vendors collectively refused I would strongly suspect some cartellish behaviour and put the EU police on them ;)
But do not think that will happen, even store managers could be easily enticed to bite, they're after all human :)
As ever, Sig you have thought this through more than me. EU cartel police move slowly but I guess they'd get there eventually.
Interesting to note Rick's comment that it's been tried before - maybe the internet was what was missing that time?
Post a Comment
<< Home