Could you name a sector that hasn’t been affected by the pandemic? Maybe you could take the names of only a handful of them! The striking feature of those difficult days that we overcame in 2020 is – how companies and businesses revamped their policies to adapt to the ‘new normal’. A somewhat similar logic applies to the office products industry too.

The office supplies sector has tailored itself (since the onset of the pandemic) more to meet the work-from-home needs. The online presence of the concerned business houses has become inevitable! No matter how large a supplier you had been in the yesteryears, the e-commerce world will now give you tough competition. It’s tougher than you’d ever imagined!

The new work-from-home (WFH) needs

Working from home has its pluses and minuses. Let's not discuss the latter and instead concentrate on what all is needed to ease out this new work culture. To create an office ambiance is far from reality – no coffee breaks, no hanging out with colleagues on Friday evenings, no office attire, and no make-ups to make you feel good and ecstatic! There are more of them - the demerits - but that is not our focus. We are here to throw light on all that's needed to set up your office at home!

As work-from-home is here to stay, perhaps for decades, office furniture that can be assembled in minutes (of course, without professional aid) is up in demand. Here are the common ones…

  • Monitor raising desks – Desks that are easy to assemble without any tools or other professional help have been ordered in large numbers since the inception of the lockdown days. E-commerce players know how to make the most of it – they are manufacturing desks (and other furniture) on-demand that are customizable! Such furniture aptly matches the needs of the customer's office space.

  • In-bed or in-couch tables – One might not have a separate ‘office-corner’ at home. Bed tables are highly demanded by such customers. A bed-table with a coffee mug holder or a tab-holder shall smartly provide you with a cozy workspace on your bed or couch!

  • Ergonomic chairs – The sitting posture of employees matter the most. Sitting comfort is one thing that adds to your concentration, productivity as well as work fidelity! So, choose the best chair per your requirements – you’ll spend the giant part of your weekdays there! Lumbar support, armrests, adjustable seats, contoured seats are some of the factors you need to consider well.

  • Desk organizers – To love what you do the entire day; you need to love the way you do it. De-cluttering the workspace adds positivity. A desk-organizer is therefore an essential commodity considering the long-drawn WFH days!

  • Printer and printing accessories – The best thing would be if your printer’s a multipurpose one – printing, scanning, and photocopying documents at one go! The need for printers come accompanied with printing accessories like papers, cartridge, files and folders, and so on. If your office can go paperless, you can save on this for the time being!

Not to mince words, the office supplies industry has been hit but it's not among the hardest hit in the 2020 virus outbreak. The contract manufacturing segment was already in a tug of war with the e-commerce industry. Bulk production of office furniture called for professional installers and also products that could not be delivered online! It is only this segment of the ‘office essentials’ that need to transfigure their sales and manufacturing policies to meet the needs of the work arena.