Online Baby Gift Retailer, Babybuds, Speaks Up About the Australian Baby Gift Industry's Strength Despite the Global Financial Crisis

Sydney, Australia, June 01, 2010 --(PR.com)-- For several months now, the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) has influenced how many industries conduct their business. Manufacturers, as well as retailers, observe their consumers, and carefully study how families spend their income.

Sydney-based baby gifts, clothing, toys and accessory retailer, babybuds, has still continued to grow in this challenging economy. The company’s sales figures are solid, which can be attributed to the confidence of the Australian shopper, especially online. Australian consumers simply feel confident about the country’s economic future.

Babybuds’ founder, Charmaine Papallo has been following the effects of the Global Financial Crisis closely, "Many first world countries are experiencing declining birth rates, but the Australian Government’s stimulus package and the “Baby Bonus” has really helped with the increasing birth rate in Australia,” Mrs. Papallo said. It is natural that the spending on baby products will naturally increase as birth rates go up.

The baby industry is also changing; today’s parents are stepping away from mass-produced toys and clothes. Instead, they are switching to handmade vintage toy replicas, knitted playthings, and less artificial looking products, a reflection of wider trends.

“With the increase of new baby gifting products, Australian consumers want something more unique, special, and practical to welcome the new baby,” Mrs Papallo, a young mother herself, enlightens.

The baby gift industry is always changing and the number of online shoppers is growing steadily. This, of course, attracts competition from abroad.

“As Australia faired well compared to many other countries during the GFC, we have also seen an influx of international online companies enter the Australian online shopping space, capturing some of the Australian market. This makes the business more competitive. E.g., Marks & Spencers from the UK is now competing for the online Australian baby gift dollar, and promoting fairly cheap delivery of all gifts to Australia,” Mrs Papallo explained.

The competition is increasing, and so are the customers’ expectations. Consumers in Australia and New Zealand want stunning, yet affordable gifts and baby toys that are delivered on time. It is a service babybuds certainly can deliver.

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