By Patrick Avenell
MELBOURNE, VIC: He has already released a range of TVs that can be used on boats and now he is about to release his own brand of boats. Ruslan Kogan, the troublemaking king of online retailing, is planning on releasing his own line of nautical adventure products under a new banner called Kogan Lifestyle.
In addition to boats, Kogan has also flagged jet skis as a new product line, and is also looking into the motoring industry, with the young entrepreneur bolding declaring “anything can be sold online”.
This new foray into watersport equipment is founded on Kogan’s knowledge of Australian lifestyles. He knows that the vast majority of the population lives coastally, with all major Australian cities, except Canberra, located on the ocean and, in most cases, also a separate major waterway. He also said that Australia has the highest per capita ownership of marine vessels.
Although news of expansion outside of his cornerstone electronics categories will be a relief for competitors in this category, this news is set to rock the boating industry, with Kogan proudly declaring that he believes he can sell boats for around 75 per cent less than current prices. In his example, he told Current.com.au that he plans on selling boats that currently retail for $60,000 for approximately $15,000.
What’s more, he has even come up with a novel business plan for this category. Instead of the boats arriving at a central location, he plans on delivering the boats to the nearest port to the consumer.
Kogan said he was looking to get his boating business on the water by February 2011.
As for the motoring market, Kogan said he has been exploring Chinese automakers, though no time frame has been put on this development.