Consumers join forces in secret savings society

In the face of inflated living costs consumers are embracing technology and social media to form a secret savings society for the purpose of driving prices down.

Busy working parents, struggling singles, cash-strapped students and pensioners are just some of the hardworking Australians and New Zealanders coming together in a secret online room.

The Savings Room comes in the form of a paid membership website and a related free mobile app. Within the room members can connect, share savings secrets, join groups and also report on overpriced products and services. Thousands of fast savings tips and member classifieds are also on offer.

The concept is simple. The more friends you make the more valued tips a member can share to networks and receive back daily.

Any minute of any day users can post status and information in the form of text, images, video, audio, documents, website links and via Google maps.

A busy mother, who is out shopping, might see a great price on nappies she wants to share with networks. Alternatively, a struggling single father might want to report an overpriced power bill or a customer service frustration he experienced today. The app posts user updates instantly to the community wall where friends and networks can see it on their phones or on the website.

“Consumers don’t want to pay inflated prices anymore. We specifically want to drive the price of groceries, utilities and petrol down. If enough members join we hope big retailers will listen through ongoing media reports. The Savings Room can deliver an instant snapshot of what is happening with consumers this minute,” says mother of two and site creator Penina Petersen.

“We are all working really hard in our jobs and lives trying to get ahead. It is great when retailers, especially small local retailers, price products and services at an affordable level. This is a way we can reward them. We can meet in a room, discuss them and put them on a map. We can do this while we save money, socialise and have fun.”

The Savings Room secret savings society is harnessing technology to give consumers a voice and to unlock the cumulative knowledge within the minds of its hardworking members.