Realizing that not all businesses are inclined to buy industrial equipment via the Web, San Diego-based Online Asset Exchange launched a print catalog to sell used metal-boring and machining equipment. The company, which connects buyers and sellers of used industrial equipment, found that “more than 50% of our customers prefer the security of a tangible product such as a catalog they can flip through, rather than a Website, to find their equipment,” says Julie Branco, marketing and communications manager. Online Asset Exchange also arranges shipping and financing and makes money by charging a percentage of the transaction fee.
The year-old Web company mailed the 200-page newsprint book (with four-color front and back covers) in November to machine shops and metalworkers. The company is predicting a 20% response rate.
Going forward, Branco says, Online Asset Exchange will produce 24-30 catalogs a year targeted to four or five specific industries: “It’s a huge undertaking to do six catalogs per industry per year,” he notes.