The Great Office Supplies Caper

Ian M. Elliott

With over 30 years of executive level experience within the printing, imaging and aftermarket industries, Mr. Elliott’s portfolio covers start-up’s, sales, distribution, reverse logistics & asset recovery, business development, executive consulting and management services. With a 15-year executive tenure at Nukote International, followed by 5 years as CEO at CertiCell and more recently 4 years as President & CEO at Print-Rite N.A., Mr. Elliott is well versed in aftermarket distribution strategies, supply chains and the effective use of information technology in business.

The Aftermarket, Office Supplies and a Major Tipping Point (Part II)

by Ian M. Elliott | 11/7/16 8:07 AM

Most industries experience consolidation - there are few exceptions and the office products and supplies industry is certainly not one of them. In Part I of this series I explained my rationale for believing the aftermarket has passed a significant...

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Topics: Business Transformation, Information Technology, Industry News, Mergers & Acquisitions

Office Products Resellers and the Battle to Increase Market Share

by Ian M. Elliott | 10/31/16 10:46 AM

Independent office products and supplies resellers have been on the defensive for a long time. Entrepreneurs who started out 25-30 years ago as laser and then ink, took over the office imaging industry, figuring out the only way to participate was...

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Topics: Business Transformation, Industry News, Mergers & Acquisitions

E-commerce, Amazon and Office Products Resellers

by Ian M. Elliott | 10/27/16 8:08 AM

There's a preoccupation, almost an obsession, with e-commerce these days. Amazon is constantly in the news as it continues to set web traffic and sales records and to finally make some money. Resellers are flocking to the platform to join their...

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Topics: Business Transformation, Information Technology, E-commerce

The Aftermarket, Office Supplies and a Major Tipping Point (Part I)

by Ian M. Elliott | 10/25/16 8:04 AM

For veterans in the office supplies industry, patents and the potential for disputes has been a way of life for 25 years or more. I clearly recall my first experiences back in the early nineties and the steep learning curve that followed. Working...

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Topics: Business Transformation, Information Technology, Industry News, Mergers & Acquisitions

Amazon, Marketplace Sellers, and Office Products

by Ian M. Elliott | 10/6/16 8:07 AM

Is the Amazon Marketplace a healthy business environment for resellers or not? This is an important question that needs to be addressed and better understood by all merchants, not just those involved in the office products and supplies vertical. The...

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Topics: Business Transformation, E-commerce, Small Business, Web Traffic

Office Supplies, Resellers & Their Value Proposition

by Ian M. Elliott | 9/28/16 7:58 AM

So, I'm a (fictitious) office products reseller that recently worked an opportunity to develop a proposal for a new prospect that buys around $10,000 of office products and supplies a year. Now, about 60% of this spend is on paper, pens, binder,...

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Topics: Business Transformation, Social Media, Small Business, Web Traffic

Office Products Resellers & Their Digital Transformation Challenges

by Ian M. Elliott | 9/26/16 6:51 AM

For one office products reseller (A) it's quite possible to be feeling upbeat about the business prospects and for another (B), it's quite possible to be feeling pretty beat-up and pessimistic about the future. The same industry and the same...

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Topics: Business Transformation, Social Media, Small Business, Web Traffic