The ‘Amazon of bulky goods’ launches in Australia

The ‘Amazon of bulky goods’, Auckland-based e-commerce platform Container Door has launched in Australia.

The platform offers products that might otherwise be found at Bunnings, Anaconda, or high street furniture store Matt Blatt, but at factory-direct prices.

But unlike many e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Container Door focuses exclusively on large products that are difficult to ship.

Container Door utilises a unique shipping model to offer customers the lowest price possible. Customers can browse and order items online, but the item won’t ship until enough customers have ordered the same item to fill a container. The process takes six to eight weeks from purchase to delivery.

The model has been tested in New Zealand since 2015 where the business has now shipped around 3,500 deals and 80,000 products.

“The Australian retail environment is ripe for a disruptor like Container Door,” said Container Door founder Ben Nathan.

“We offer the same products that consumers will find in-store at a fraction of the cost by cutting out the middleman.”

Nathan said that consumers are more than willing to wait six to eight weeks for their purchases to arrive if the savings are worth it.

“In fact, they get what we call ‘double gratification’ – the initial buzz of bagging a bargain and then the thrill when it arrives at their doorstep,” he said.

Nathan started the business after years of importing apparel to major Australasian retail chains including Harris Scarfe, The Warehouse, Farmers, Max Fashions and Postie Plus.

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