Account of an online group purchase (团购)

From Sam Flemming, over at the China IWOM Blog:

1. …Anyone interested in participating in the group purchase can join the QQ group and continue discussing the details of the purchase.
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2. …The group leader plays a very important role in the group purchase process. On one side, he communicates with group members and collects their specific requirements… On the other side, the group leader acts as the group’s representative in talks with car dealers…
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3. The last step is to meet at a predetermined time at the car dealer to pick up the cars. At the dealer, the members of the group finally meet each other face-to-face for the first time.
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4. It may seem that the group car purchase has ended, but in fact though the purchase process is over the after-purchase communication between the members is only just beginning… Group members will often organize together again to purchase accessories and upgrades, or meet for offline activities. Once the group purchase is over, the group leader’s leadership position and influence continues on.

See the full post here, or the original Chinese post here. (Image from here.)