Proficiency Post goes Mobile

Proficiency Post the leading information and analysis source for the business supplies industry launches a new mobile friendly website.

Founded by Peter Frost in 2003, Proficiency Post (PP), a daily online weblog providing ‘Breaking News Analysis & Opinion’ on the office market.

It’s goal was to champion best practice and drive his vision of a new emerging 'personal productivity services’ marketplace.

Wicko Design had worked on design projects with Frost’s previous company OfficeSMART, a leading office marketing group in Europe.

In 2008, Proficiency Post was experiencing difficulties with its publishing software and approached Wicko for a new solution.

Wicko Design development created a specialist solution for PP. The new website was built using the Joomla Content Management System (CMS).

At this time, PP was a free news service and the decision was made to go subscription only for details below the teaser headlines.

Readership pre subscription was circa 10,000+ and has grown to 18,000 including representatives from resellers, wholesalers, manufacturers and software houses engaged in the office market. There is a growing audience of users in corporate and SMB marketplace interested in the trends benchmarked by Proficiency Index,

The driving vision continues to be 'personal productivity services' which spans the wider scope of the business supplies/services markets comprising: contract furniture and interiors; the Facilities Management/MRO & industrial supply; Information Technology; the food & beverage supplies and equipment.

The Wicko adapted CMS platform is an easy publishing system; easy to edit; easy to subscribe; easy to pay via PayPal and facilitates the publication of 3 newsletter (PP NEWS) distributed to 18,000 personally addressed readers, plus the usual re-forwarded audience of thousands of associates.

PP is primarily a subscription model but does welcome neutral advertising. However, because the op-ed column Frost Bites champions progressive independents and can be critical of corporate behaviour it can compromise vendors who do not wish to be open to editor’s comment.

Proficiency Group has organised 9 Annual BREAKTHROUGH conferences covering Office Megatrends and featuring CEO’s from the world’s leading resellers, wholesalers and manufacturers.

Wicko has supported PG in the successful organisation, projection and development of these popular events.

In 2015, PP went mobile so that content and articles were optimised for easy reading by iPhone and iPad users on the move.