Look At

LookAt Limited is an on-line venture aimed at taking on the big boys in the commercial stationery market.  Why would you venture into that space, you may ask?  It’s a highly competitive industry with some large, established and well funded heavyweight players slugging it out for percentages of market share.  Why would anyone start up against those guys?

Well LookAt have a different model to their big competitors.  They are competing entirely on cost – by cutting all frills out of the office stationery equation:  No bricks and mortar retail space, no store displays, no reps with company vehicles calling on offices, no glossy catalogues, no trade accounts and no call centres.  All those peripherals just add costs, so LookAt has stripped them all away.

They sell all the same stuff – but cheaper.

The catch is you order from an on-line catalogue and pay in full at the time of your order – by direct debit or by credit card.  Fulfilment is by free courier delivery the following day – and there are no credits or returns unless required by law of course.  The LookAt crew tell us their office supplies prices average around 30% lower than the New Zealand market is accustomed to paying in from the big name suppliers.

LookAt Limited is lead by serial entrepreneur Michael Masterson – and professional liquidator Damien Grant. A skilled crew.

So can these guys convince the New Zealand Office Supplies market that a cost saving is worth foregoing the service that the big players offer?  Do Kiwi companies really want an office supplies rep calling on them weekly to take their orders?  Do they want a glossy brochure to choose their order from - or the ability to pick up the phone and talk to a human?  Do they really want the option to visit a showroom to see, smell and touch the stuff they’re about to order?  Is the option to return stuff the next day such a sweetener for Kiwi businesses when the receptionist gets a bit carried away with the office supplies order?  Is the “payment on the 20th of the following month” credit facility worth a 30% price premium?

Time will tell, but we think that in this environment of cost conscious business it’s a no brainer.

Check LookAt out online (online is the only place you will find them, actually) at www.lookAT.co.nz.

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