Booktopia partners with online ed-tech company Zookal

Booktopia has become the exclusive supplier and fulfilment partner for online education technology company Zookal.

Under the terms of the agreement, Booktopia will source, supply and distribute all of Zookal’s physical book orders, which are estimated to total approximately $22 million in revenue this financial year. The agreement begins on 1 May 2021, and Zookal’s Alexandria NSW distribution centre will be decommissioned.

Zookal, which was established in Sydney in 2011, is an education technology start-up in Asia Pacific. Its online student platforms in Asia reach over one million students and over 200,000 paying customers.

Zookal co-CEO Ahmed Haider said: ‘Handing the fulfilment function to Booktopia allows us to focus on the continued growth of our SAAS [software as a service] ed-tech platform, which has surged in recent times due to Covid, and leave book delivery to a trusted partner. The deal also allows Booktopia customers to have exposure to our innovative education tools Zookal Study, Homework Help, Test Prep and Textbook Answers adding significant value to their customer base.’

Booktopia CEO Tony Nash said the Zookal partnership would ‘extend the company’s exposure to the lucrative and growing educational book market’.

‘Education remains one of our fastest growing segments and our partnership with Zookal will ensure we are continuing to grow our penetration into this sector,’ Nash said. ‘Like Booktopia, Zookal has established a strong reputation for holding an extensive range of titles and delivering to customers in a timely fashion. As their exclusive supplier and fulfillment partner, we look forward to maintaining these high standards.’

For the current financial year, Booktopia has made academic and corporate book sales of approximately $53 million, up more than 30% over the $40 million in FY20. Booktopia said ‘the full financial benefits’ of the Zookal distribution agreement will be felt in FY22.

Category: Local news