Overview
Onceit is one of New Zealand's leading online retailers for premium brands at discounted prices, selling fashion, beauty, homeware, furniture, tech and toys. It started as a members-only flash sale site and has grown into a value retailer and marketplace, shipping to customers in New Zealand and Australia. For a brand that wants to reach value-seeking shoppers in New Zealand, Onceit offers a large, engaged audience.
Who is behind Onceit
Onceit was launched in May 2010 by Jay Goodey and is based in Auckland. He had noticed that brands in Auckland held friends-and-family sales and wanted to give shoppers outside the city access to similar deals online, inspired by a New York company doing something similar. Onceit grew by 100% to 150% a year in its early years and was named in the Deloitte Fast 50 in 2013 and 2014. It is backed by investors including the Punakaiki Fund and the experienced retailer Simon West, who joined as a mentor, shareholder and director.
How Onceit works
- Buying and selling stock. Most of Onceit's revenue comes from buying stock from brands and selling it to members.
- Private label. Onceit also sells its own brands at higher margins.
- Marketplace. Brands can also sell through the Onceit marketplace, with Onceit taking a commission on sales.
- Limited-time deals and longer-running offers. Some deals sell out quickly, while other discounted products stay available longer.
Reach
Onceit says it has more than half a million customers and access to more than 650,000 buyers across its platforms, including its app. It works with more than 500 local and international brands, and 300 to 400 suppliers have been with it since its early days. Onceit has reported more than 25,000 orders a month.
What brands get
- Exposure to a large member base that likes premium brands at good prices.
- Marketing, such as a featured landing page on the Onceit homepage and in emails, plus SEO, retargeting and social media.
- Checkout and customer service handled by Onceit.
- Integration through multichannel tools such as Rithum.
What a brand should think about
- Brand positioning. Onceit says it tries to maintain brand integrity for suppliers, but brands should consider how discounting affects their image.
- Volume. Sales events can move large volumes in a short time, so stock and delivery must be ready.
- New Zealand compliance and delivery for the category.
How eBrands looks at Onceit
eBrands works with brands on marketplaces and retail channels across Europe, North America and beyond. If you are thinking about New Zealand and want to see whether Onceit fits your plans, we are happy to talk it through.
Useful links
Ready to go global?
Let us show you how eBrands can take your brand to every market that matters.