A buying group is a collective of customers who source produce in bulk, then receive a single delivery and distribute the produce among members. This might take place in someone’s back shed, or local community space. Buying groups are often not for profit and run by members. By ordering in bulk, and taking on the task of packing and distributing individual orders, members of a buying group can access great produce at lower prices. Joining or starting a buying group with your neighbours or community group can be a great way to access affordable produce and also build sense of community.
If a shop delivers to a buying group, ask them about how you can join. Or if you want to start a new buying group, get in touch with a shop to see if it can be accommodated, and talk with your community to get others involved.
Buying groups can use the OFN to setup an online shopfront, which can be stocked with items from their various suppliers. Each supplier has a corresponding profile, so as customers are shopping, they can learn about how their food was produced and where it’s come from. Different elements of the buying group’s shop can be configured, including whether it is member-only, what kind of markup is applied, how often its order cycles repeat and what shipping methods and payment terms are offered. Using the OFN within a buying group is a great way to streamline your administration tasks and to provide a more enjoyable shopping experience.
The hub shop manual walks through the basic elements of setting up a buying group on the OFN. ‘Hub’ is a broad term used at the OFN to refer to different models that aggregate and sell source identified food. The hub setup manual applies to many different ‘hub’ models, including buying groups, so be aware that some features covered will be less relevant. As well as working through the hub setup manual, check out some of the Advanced Features which are relevant to buying groups:
- The group buy tool makes it easier for buying groups to make decisions about purchasing stock which comes in bulk sizes like 10kg boxes of bananas, or 12 bottle crates of milk. Each customer can indicate their preferred order quantity at checkout, but also the maximum amount they would be happy to buy if the group needs more orders to reach the minimum bulk order size.
- A Buying Group will often have many different people who are responsible for different parts of administering the shop. You can have multiple managers of your OFN profile and shopfront.
- Make your shopfront private so new members must be approved before they can shop with you.
- Boost the transparency of your shopfront with product properties