We always have more weight together than alone.

Based on this observation, e-commerce sites have made group purchasing a mode of consumption for about ten years.

The principle ?

Bring together a large number of buyers in order to obtain advantageous conditions, particularly in terms of price, when purchasing a product or service.

But where these platforms have sniffed out the right vein, the associations have seen it as an action tool for the benefit of users.

Energy, telecoms, health…

UFC-Que Choisir was a pioneer in France by launching its first “Less expensive gas together” operation in 2014, which enabled 71,000 subscribers to achieve an average saving of 194 euros over one year. Since then, the association has implemented its “Cheaper energy together” campaign almost every year on gas and electricity, while since 2017 it has organized recurring group fuel oil purchase operations.

Families of France followed the movement from 2016 and undertook several operations dedicated to gas and electricity in partnership with the comparator Selectra (up to 12,000 subscribers in 2018).

The association also tried to reduce the internet bill for users in 2017, before tackling complementary health insurance in 2020 and obtaining a 28% discount on the amount of premiums for the 1,800 participants.

In December 2021, it also announced the launch of the first group purchase on home insurance, in order to counter the explosion of prices in the sector.

Militant actions

For Chantal Huet, the president of Families of France, these operations are "in the DNA" of the structure, which has defended the purchasing power of households since 1921. And to recall that "from 1945, families had met to buy potatoes in bulk after the war". Raising public awareness, improving competition when it can be beneficial to consumers and boosting the sector are just as many reasons to organize this type of action according to Cédric Musso, director of political action at UFC-Que Choisir. “In 2014, we set up our first gas campaign to demonstrate by example the value and simplicity of changing supplier. Because at the time, people remained braced on the regulated tariff, ”explains the association manager.

In October 2021, the UFC also organized the group purchase of some 8,000 fixed telephones selected by it for the effectiveness of their anti-solicitation device, its workhorse.

“Each time we launched a group purchase, it was ultimately an extension of a political fight,” sums up Cédric Musso.

Legal certainty

This militant commitment goes above all through the elaboration of detailed specifications which must be respected by the service providers placed in competition by the association.

In addition to seeking an attractive price, the objective is to offer a safe, protective contract free of any abusive clauses, while offering the guarantee of support for policyholders in the event of a problem.

"Our legitimacy and our added value is to provide legal certainty to consumers," said the representative of UFC-Que Choisir.

Much more than simple intermediaries, these associations are therefore committed to moving the lines and protecting the participants.

And there is no need to be a member: group purchases are open to everyone.

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