Electrical wholesaler

[Isetech]

How long do you think the electrical wholesaler will still be around ?

Moving into the technical era, why are we still sending emails to get prices from wholesalers, why do we still have electricians sitting wasting hours at wholesalers eating away at profits or wasting customers money ?

I googled online wholesaler, this online electrical wholesaler popped up, 3 minutes later I was registered and had prices available for me get a quote ready by Monday morning. If I deal with the normal wholesaler, I would have to send the email, wait till Monday afternoon or Tuesday to get a reply.

https://online-electrical.co.za/

Big orders are not a problem, I would have emailed for a quote, received the quote and got the wholesaler to deliver. Its the little things that cost the most money.


If you are short of 1 socket outlet and a couple lugs, it effectively costs travelling, time wasted sitting at the wholesaler then travelling to site, this takes anything from 1-3 hours @ lets say you only charge a ridiculous R450, a 3 hour round trip could cost the customer R1350.00 for a R45 double socket outlet

There are so many bike deliveries @ R35, you could save your customer a lot of money if you are using a smart wholesaler

My other question is why are we still using a middle man in SA, when you can buy stuff directly from China cheaper than you can buy it in SA from a wholesaler.

Why do you still have to go via a wholesaler to buy socket outlets and circuit breakers etc. Places like AC/DC sell directly to the public, so why cant we buy directly from the distributors.

Some wholesaler and distributors have side line contracting businesses or deal directly with the customer they even bypass the contractor. I stand to be corrected but I have heard Artsolar for example have their own team installing the equipment they manufacture and sell. It use to be frowned upon, but in this day and age, anything goes.

So once again I ask myself why am I dealing with a wholesaler. They should be like video rental shops, who stills rents videos.

[Dylboy]

I like the hybrid model that the one supplier Liteglo is doing, where have store front but also online orders and slightly more discount too for using website. Free delivery on orders now over R1000, was R500 few months back but fuel price I reckon pushed that up.

But in the evening I build my basket and then order and pay to often be delivered to my place or site. Works a charm.

I also like doing into the shop and chatting to the okes and seeing what's out there and pick their brain on products and what the other okes are buying etc.

Also Fridays they so boerrie rolls and often get a ticket for a free one haha.



Sent from my CPH2197 using Tapatalk

[Isetech]

I like the hybrid model that the one supplier Liteglo is doing, where have store front but also online orders and slightly more discount too for using website. Free delivery on orders now over R1000, was R500 few months back but fuel price I reckon pushed that up.

But in the evening I build my basket and then order and pay to often be delivered to my place or site. Works a charm.

I also like doing into the shop and chatting to the okes and seeing what's out there and pick their brain on products and what the other okes are buying etc.

Also Fridays they so boerrie rolls and often get a ticket for a free one haha.



Sent from my CPH2197 using Tapatalk

I own my business, so wasted time at the wholesaler is like taking food away from my kids. Its a different story if I am visiting the fishing shop, motor bike or bicycle shop

[Blurock]

I own my business, so wasted time at the wholesaler is like taking food away from my kids. Its a different story if I am visiting the fishing shop, motor bike or bicycle shop

What a number of businesses do not understand is that the "Customer Experience" is very important.
You may think that you are doing things right by employing friendly and helpful staff, but if that is not what the customer experience, they may go elsewhere.

My view, learnt from marketing guru Peter Drucker, is that " the purpose of a business is to create a customer". The business enterprise has only two basic functions - marketing and innovation. Obviously the guys who created the online shop used innovation to create and enhance the customer experience.

[Firepool]

I own my business, so wasted time at the wholesaler is like taking food away from my kids. Its a different story if I am visiting the fishing shop, motor bike or bicycle shop

Our wholesaler delivers to us twice a day and have good prices so we cant complain about that.We have a dedicated salesperson that we deal with .

[Isetech]

Our wholesaler delivers to us twice a day and have good prices so we cant complain about that.We have a dedicated salesperson that we deal with .

Trying to manage 60 electrician was more of ball ache than it was worth.

One of the advantages of doing it on a large scale, you can make your supplier work for their commission

[Firepool]

Trying to manage 60 electrician was more of ball ache than it was worth.

One of the advantages of doing it on a large scale, you can make your supplier work for their commission

I think we have 20 plus but agree every law in south africa makes you not want to employ anybody.The bargaining council kills the indusrty.
There is almost zero benefit to be bigger employer in a weak economy.One benefit is that wholesalers want you work as they make money off you no matter how profitable you are.So you should have bargaining power with them as get good service.

[Isetech]

What a number of businesses do not understand is that the "Customer Experience" is very important.
You may think that you are doing things right by employing friendly and helpful staff, but if that is not what the customer experience, they may go elsewhere.

My view, learnt from marketing guru Peter Drucker, is that " the purpose of a business is to create a customer". The business enterprise has only two basic functions - marketing and innovation. Obviously the guys who created the online shop used innovation to create and enhance the customer experience.

A good example was my Ellies experience, service is so crap that I have decided to to support a company 1200 km away from me rather the company down the road. Clearly Ellies turnover and profit margins indicate they dont need to worry about small business.

these guys offer a good customer experience.

https://herholdts.co.za/