Group purchasing to obtain quantity discounts has become popular among office workers in Taiwan, with more than four-fifths of workers having participated, a survey showed Tuesday.

Food products were the favorite target of group purchases, which harness the bargaining power of groups of online shoppers to negotiate discounts with vendors, the survey conducted by 360D Human Resources found.

About 82 percent of the office workers polled said they had joined with colleagues in group purchasing, while 67 percent said company executives had also become involved.

According to the survey, 41 percent of respondents said the e-commerce innovation was a growing trend in offices, while almost half made purchases through group buying as oft en as three times a month.

Apart from food products, office workers also made collective purchases of cosmetics, garments and accessories, according to the survey. The poll, which gathered 1,019 valid responses was conducted between April 15 and April 22.

PayEasy, one of Taiwan's leading e-commerce retailers, said its business has felt the growing impact of office workers shopping online, though it did not specify whether the purchases were made by individuals or groups.

The company said the peak hours for online purchases were at around 9:30 am and 2:30 pm, when office workers had a moment to surf shopping websites before their bosses arrived at the office.

Buying volume during the peak hours was 14 times the volume seen during non-peak periods, it said.

PayEasy expected its online shopping business to grow signifi cantly as Mother's Day approaches, with sales likely to exceed NT$200 million in the week preceding the holiday.

CHINA DAILY/CNA

(HK Edition 04/28/2010 page4)