Ask HN: Would small business owners like this?
The main idea is for you to win those sales that you'd have otherwise lost to your competitors by offering a lower price to customers in 'private'.
I'm thinking of creating an online 'private' platform where I would reach out to customers who are about to buy. Just before they check out, they could head over to this online platform and I'll offer them a 'private' lower price than the one they have found. This creates an additional value for customers at the point where they have already decided to buy. They could buy the exact same item at a cheaper price, so why not?
By private, it means these prices are not public and would only be made available to those customers who want to buy the item you stock. You need not worry about brand dilution in this case.
So the important thing here is to note that the original online store/ merchant, who got the sale initially, is your competitor. Through such a platform, it provides you the opportunity to reach out to this group of ready-buyers and win back your lost sales.
Assuming the discount you provide to customers is about 10% off the price from your competitor's, would this model work for you? If not, what could be a better workaround?
In a nut shell, you are offering customers a 10% savings so as to effectively divert those sales you would have otherwise lost back to yourself.
Would really appreciate if you let me know where your point of view is from - is it from a customer standpoint or as a business owner.