Study on the future of buying groups in retail trade

In times of threatened store closures due to the threat of the corona virus, the question arises as to how viable the German retail sector is. Part of the answer will depend on how intensively local retailers are already operating on online channels.
The majority of small and medium-sized retailers are organised in purchasing cooperatives or buying groups. In the current study, eStrategy Consulting deals with the question of where buying groups and their members stand in terms of digitisation and what approaches to online marketing and online sales are visible from the buying groups? In total, more than one hundred buying groups with almost one hundred thousand members in the retail sector are examined. Typical approaches will be evaluated and basic success factors for groups will be derived. However, the results are worrying, as only a small part of the groups offers real solutions to their members.