OpenTrolley Bookstore
Singapore – Book buyers in Singapore have always had options in online bookstores, but it either meant high prices or going outside the Singapore market. Now, thanks to opentrolley.com.sg, residents can buy direct from a Singapore company, and save money over popular places like Borders and Kinokuniya.
Operations Manager Mazmur Andreas explains, "This business was created by fellow book enthusiasts who wanted to help readers save money on great titles. As inflation for items like food and oil skyrocket, this is one area of a book buyer’s life where we can keep costs low. For example, at Kinokuniya you can get The Innocent Man by John Grisham for $17.07, but at OpenTrolley it's $13.80. The same is true of non-fiction books. Cook with Jamie sells for $69.55 at Kinokuniya, but buyers can save about $15 since it's $54.10 at OpenTrolley."
There are several reasons why OpenTrolley can provide such low prices. The store has exclusive dealings with book distributors and publishers that other retailers in the area simply don’t have. That means OpenTrolley can negotiate better prices for their buyers. The company also doesn’t have the overhead of a physical store and the distributor ships items as they are ordered, which also significantly cuts costs..
In addition, customers can do a local pick up and forego paying the extra shipping charges of having their order shipped to their homes if they so choose. OpenTrolley currently has a retail partner in the Orchard Road area and, starting in August, the bookseller will have an additional location at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
But pricing wasn’t the only thing in mind when OpenTrolley was created.
“As book lovers ourselves, selection was important to us,” says Andreas. “We have more than 1 million U.S. book titles, including some titles that can’t be found elsewhere in Singapore. Plus, unlike other bookstores, we don’t charge annual membership fees to enjoy the discounts. Restricting someone from great prices for great books is unjustified in our view.”
OpenTrolley has attracted attention beyond individual buyers. Schools, companies and churches are also discovering the benefits of this new online store.
“Some customers initially worry about the condition of the books because our prices are so low, but everything being sold is brand-new. As a result, we’ve found a variety of people from all walks of life buying from OpenTrolley.”
To learn more about OpenTrolley or to search their selection of books you can visit them at www.opentrolley.com.sg.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
