WEBUY: Bringing the Kampung Spirit of Group Buying Back to E-Commerce

First launched in Singapore in August 2019, WEBUY is a new social e-commerce platform focusing on group buys that seeks to bring back the Kampung spiriting of sharing and caring through group buying to the e-commerce environment in Singapore.

Inspired by China’s e-commerce movement, Vincent Xue, Co-Founder and CEO of WEBUY (and ex-Co-Founder of ezbuy), aims to bring this concept to Southeast Asia’s food and beverage e-commerce scene, where the region’s consumers are driven by the thrill of bargaining and influence. Eyeing a gap between traditional suppliers and the modern consumer, WEBUY seeks to give both merchants and consumers an opportunity to source for and provide novel F&B items, while also helping SMEs across Asia expand their business opportunities.

Essentially, WEBUY help you to buy in bulk to get discounts and good deals, somewhat like the old Groupon model, but with social sharing elements. By purchasing in bulk, WEBUY go direct to the source and negotiate for better prices. They would also only order what you order, with low wastage. Cost savings are then passed on to you.

For example, food suppliers like KSP Food used to primarily provide premium meats and seafood to prominent Chinese restaurants before joining the platform. Amidst the global pandemic, they pivoted their business to include everyday consumers in order to survive the lockdown, expanding their client pool.

Another example includes Umamill Co. Ltd.’s curation of unique and authentic Japanese products on WEBUY. These flavours from Japan’s prefectures are crafted by small businesses from the country, and have introduced several best-sellers in Singapore on the WEBUY platform like the artisanal Hokkaido-style Ramen by Mochizuki Noodle Factory Co. and the popular Japanese cream rolls by Shinkinedo Co..

Samples of products you can get off WEBUY, ranging from local to imported produce:

“By building a relationship based on trust, our customers are engaged with the content we post on our social media channels. WEBUY has brought my community closer, with them seeing me more as a friend rather than the middleman collating their orders,” sharedVanessa Teo, a Private Tutor and WEBUY Group Leader.

In addition, WEBUY’s frequent customer, Accountant Irene Leow, appreciates the economical prices that she is privy to due to bulk orders, the constant discount notifications and pick-up time flexibility through her group leader. 

Currently, WEBUY supports 3,000 group leaders and 100,000 consumers across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Recently, the startup also announced the completion of their Series A investment round, raising a total of US$6 million which will be used to further expand its regional footprint in SEA.

To join in the group buying experience with WEBUY, visit their official website or download their mobile app for more details. Happy shopping and saving as you spend! Note that to browse their product listings, you have to sign up as a user first by creating an account.