Sometimes that is still exactly the right option. But for everyday tools, fixings, plumbing components, cleaning products, trade consumables and other easily shipped supplies, sending someone to a merchant isn’t always the most efficient way to get them.
More trade supplies can now be ordered online and delivered directly to a business, stores, home or job site. For contractors managing multiple properties, operatives and projects, online purchasing is becoming an increasingly useful part of a smarter materials strategy.
The cost of collecting materials isn’t simply the price of the products.
An operative may need to leave site, drive to a merchant, find what they need, collect it and travel back. A relatively inexpensive missing product can therefore create a much larger cost in lost working time.
There will always be occasions when collection makes sense, particularly when something is needed immediately. But for predictable requirements and products that can easily be shipped, ordering trade supplies online can remove unnecessary journeys altogether.
Property maintenance frequently requires relatively small products across several different trades.
A typical contractor might regularly need:
The inefficiency appears when purchasing teams or operatives repeatedly source these products from different places.
Buying across multiple trade categories online can help consolidate more of that requirement into fewer orders.
Many property maintenance businesses use the same products repeatedly. Once suitable fixings, sealants, plumbing fittings, cleaning products or other maintenance essentials have been selected, there is little value in repeating the purchasing decision every time they are required.
Online ordering makes familiar products easier to find and reorder.
For businesses completing repeat maintenance, void refurbishment and planned works, this can support a more consistent and standardised approach to materials procurement.
Online ordering also means the supplier doesn’t necessarily need to be located around the corner from the job.
Suitable products can be delivered to a business, contractor’s stores, residential address or project location. That flexibility can be particularly valuable for contractors working across multiple sites or a wide geographical area.
Not every building material is ideally suited to nationwide delivery. Some items are too large or fragile to be safely shipped, while other items are restricted by carriers or can only be sold face-to-face to tradespeople – certain chemicals or liquids, for example.
However, a substantial range of everyday trade products can be efficiently packed and dispatched, including tools, fixings, plumbing components, painting and decorating, cleaning products and PPE, and general trade consumables.
Flat-pack products can also work particularly well. Flat-pack kitchen units, for example, can be ordered online and delivered across the UK, making them a practical option for refurbishment contractors, landlords, kitchen installers and property maintenance businesses regardless of their proximity to the supplier.
Online ordering shouldn’t replace every other way of buying building materials.
Urgent repairs may require immediate collection, while sheet materials, long lengths, heavy products and other bulky items may be better suited to local delivery. Some liquids and other products can also be subject to carrier restrictions.
The objective isn’t to choose between physical builders merchants and online ordering. It’s to use the most efficient purchasing route for each requirement.
Orion Trade Supplies combines physical trade counters in Rochester, Kent and Peckham, London with an extensive online trade shop. Local customers can visit our branches, use Click & Collect or arrange local delivery using our fleet of of vehicles.
But you don’t need to be based in London or Kent to buy from Orion.
Thousands of suitable trade products can also be ordered through our website for delivery across the UK.
For property maintenance contractors, refurbishment businesses, facilities management providers and multi-trade teams, that provides a more flexible way to source everyday building and maintenance supplies.
Collect locally when that makes sense; order online when it doesn’t.
Whether you’re around the corner from one of our branches or hundreds of miles away, suitable products can be ordered directly from Orion Trade Supplies for UK delivery. Browse our online shop for tools, fixings, plumbing products, cleaning products, kitchen units and thousands of other trade essentials.
Can property maintenance contractors buy trade supplies online?
Yes. Many everyday maintenance products including tools, fixings, plumbing components, hardware, cleaning products, PPE and trade consumables are well suited to online ordering and delivery.
Does Orion Trade Supplies deliver online orders across the UK?
Yes. Suitable products can be delivered throughout the UK. Delivery availability depends on the individual product, order and destination, and restrictions apply to some bulky or restricted products.
Do I need to be near an Orion branch to order?
No. Orion has trade counters in Rochester and Peckham, but suitable products can also be ordered online for UK delivery.
What trade supplies are suitable for online ordering?
Tools, fixings, hardware, plumbing components, decorating accessories, cleaning products, PPE, trade consumables and flat-pack kitchen units are among the many product types that can be suitable for online ordering and delivery.
