Kogan ROARS, royally ripping retailers a new one

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 01 March 2011 11:29

Your IT - Home IT

Kogan has ripped retailers a new one claiming that when Apple decides to cut third party retailers such as JB HiFi out of the loop, a huge part of their business will simply evaporate.

Ruslan Kogan, the Han Solo-esque rogue of the e-tail world, has ripped into retailers at MediaConnect's 'KickStart' Conference on the Gold Coast.

The eponymous Kogan of Kogan Technologies says that his company 'lives technology', 'loves it' and that there is 'always a better way', with Kogan's direct-to-consumer model a clear example of Kogan making his beliefs a reality, something famed free marketeers and champions of individual freedom such as Ayn Rand would likely be very proud of, where she still alive today to see the Roark, Rearden and Galt-esque Kogan in action.

While the world does not yet ask 'Who is Ruslan Kogan?' in the same way a shrugging Atlas asks of Mr Galt, retailers who haven't yet uttered these words would well be wise to, lest they find themselves in the hardly normal shoes some in the retail industry are now wearing, with those shoes filled with the lead of high commercial rents and sky high advertising costs the traditional retail space and media demands.

Although some of those retailers have tried to copy Kogan in developing their own product lines, with Dick Smith Electronics coming to mind for having done so before Kogan first opened doors, many of those 'home branded' products have been at the lower end of the scale, whereas Kogan has instead promoted, where possible, premium-style products at punchy, competitive pricing, without the massive retail overheads that plague the 'JB Hardly's' of the world.

So, what did Mr Kogan say that might cause some retailers to wish they could hire a Shogun to eliminate Kogan and his slogans?

He said that 'the biggest retailers are Apple's bitch', sharing details from some bankers Kogan recently met with who noted that 30% of JB HiFi's sales, in the last quarter, came from Apple products and Apple related accessories.

This meant, he said, that 'Apple is an innovative company with a unique product offering', and that 'the biggest bricks and mortar retailers are relying on Apple to stay alive'.

Kogan warned that the day may come when Apple only sold from its own stores, both online and offline, and that Apple was heavily involved in tracking its users to see when to make this stellar shift, from the offer to email you a receipt when you purchase from a real-world Apple store to watching everything you do on iTunes and everything you do on its websites.

The rip-roarin' rogue continues to rave on page two, please read on!