By Aimee Chanthadavong

Group buying company OfferMe has launched MeStore, a virtual shopping centre platform that will enable individual businesses to offer discount group buy deals.

Speaking to RetailBiz, James Wang, OfferMe managing director, said MeStore is an additional service to OfferMe that will allow sellers, particularly niche retailers, to upsell their products.

“Niche product retailers will have a better channel to sell their products for a very low cost.  Consumers will benefit from buying niche products that are harder to buy online at a great price and are happy to see competition,” he said.

The MeStore features full e-commerce and ‘buy now’ functionality and enables retailers to promote and sell the full range of their goods and services for as little as $30 per month. Sellers also can personalise their online shopfront in the OfferMe virtual shopping centre.

Wang also said that the idea came about through the demands of its sellers.

“This is a significant step forward in the delivery of greater value for sellers and consumers. We have been offering a platform for our sellers to provide group buying deals for consumers,” he said. 

“The sellers might lose money in offering group buying deals or selling overstock items. Online stores will generate interest for consumers to buy other great value items of the sellers after they purchase the group buying item and grow the sellers' businesses.”

The site has launched with 50,000 products including from Australia-based bikes retailer CellBikes and expects the product line to grow over 200,000 next year as more retailers join the shopping centre.

According to Wang, the launch of the MeStore online shopping centre will change the face of group buying and online retailing.

“This will combine the strength of group buying and "buy now" – a convenient, one stop shopping centre for consumers who want to grab highly discounted deals (group buy), as well as items they want now without waiting for a group buy to start or end (buy now). Group buying usually focuses on service but our platform specialises in product group buying,” he said.

The company is focused on becoming one of the largest online shopping centres in the country and has plans for international expansion over the coming year.