| It is safe to say that there are very few factors which | | | | more likely to compete on price-point due to a desire |
| hold equal importance across all of the thousands of | | | | to entice new customers and lower operational costs. |
| offices spanning the length and breadth of the country. | | | | Location |
| For some organisations the focus is upon sales | | | | In terms of delivery time it goes without saying that a |
| generation, for others creativity is at the fore: the list is | | | | stationery retailer based around the corner from your |
| endless. One of the few aspects of business which is | | | | office is able to dispatch products to you faster than |
| a constant across almost all organisations however is | | | | one whose distribution centre is based offshore or at |
| efficiency: whether in reference to time, resources, | | | | the other end of the country. As such it is likely that |
| people or capital- or in the case of the best run | | | | the speed of service offered by a local supplier will on |
| companies: all four. | | | | the most part be faster than that of a large company |
| Office equipment and stationery is something which | | | | who serve the whole country and beyond. |
| few companies really look too much into, it is often one | | | | Furthermore, the delivery costs encountered by either |
| of many tasks for an administrator in large | | | | party will be lower: giving the purchaser a little more |
| organisations and an afterthought for someone with | | | | leverage when it comes to price negotiation. |
| other more pressing roles in smaller companies. As a | | | | Customer Retention |
| consequence, many businesses simply opt for office | | | | From experience, the service offered by an |
| supplies companies they have heard of regardless of | | | | organisation that depends on your custom is far |
| their price or service. It is however beneficial to spend | | | | superior to that of a company with such a large client |
| a little time looking into the best supplier for your | | | | base that the loss of a contract is barely noticeable in |
| particular needs and this process needn't take much | | | | their accounts. With smaller, local office suppliers, your |
| time provided the following factors are considered: | | | | calls and emails will most likely be addressed by a |
| Price | | | | small team of individuals who will come to know you |
| Many larger stationery retailers, whether based on the | | | | by name and as such feel obliged to serve your |
| high street or online, will offer buy one get one free | | | | needs to the best of their abilities. Huge corporations |
| style offers for limited periods on some items. Offers | | | | on the other hand tend to utilise vast call centres which |
| of this nature tend to serve two main purposes: to | | | | make it hard to not only speak to the same person |
| draw in prospective customers by offering a 'loss | | | | more than once, but also often a challenge to even |
| leader' product in the hope that they will also buy items | | | | get in touch with a relevant individual if you encounter |
| with a higher profit margin while taking advantage of | | | | a problem. |
| the promotion or to shift excess stock in a specific | | | | In summary, when looking for an office supplies |
| item which has under-sold or is taking up too much | | | | company it is a great starting point to consider those in |
| shelf/warehouse space. Putting promotions aside, large | | | | the local area initially. Once you've compiled a list of |
| retailers rarely offer the lowest price across the range | | | | nearby suppliers and checked which are the most |
| of their stock as they know that due to brand loyalty, | | | | competitively priced it is well worth giving the most |
| customers will often be willing to either pay more or | | | | attractive proposition a go and seeing the difference |
| are unaware of the availability of lower prices | | | | they offer in terms of price and service compared to |
| elsewhere. Newer, smaller or purely online retailers are | | | | the household name retailers. |