Australian fashion retailers are set to face further competition in the online shopping space, with the launch of companies such as USA Shopping Affair to make online purchasing of designer goods a whole lot cheaper.
The Australian owned and operated package forwarding company, will launch in April and will enable Australian online shoppers to buy from multiple USA retailers without the expense of getting their goods home. Boosted by the strong Australian dollar, bargains such as Guess Kailua shoes, which usually retail for $120, will be available for $49 and delivered to the buyer's door for $15 or less, within 10 days.
Founder of USA Shopping Affair Charmaine Graham said she set up the business after being repeatedly disappointed by US retailers not shipping overseas and by the exorbitant cost of getting things sent back to Australia.
“Online shoppers buy from the USA for two main reasons – firstly because they can often buy things cheaper due to the strong Australian dollar, and American retailers operate in a very competitive market, and secondly because they can find unique styles not available here due to the US being ahead of Australia in many of the fashion trends,” she said.
“While there are a lot of companies based in the US offering package forwarding services, none are coordinated from Australia consolidating multiple client purchases to enable discounted shipping. USA Shopping Affair facilitates a ‘collective buying power’ that an individual would not normally have access to and the result is a shipping option that offers online shoppers even more incentive to snap up bargains from the US.”
This may present as another thorn in the side for Australian-based fashion businesses, who are already dealing with rising fabric prices and increasing labour costs across China, as well as the threat of international super-brands, such as Zara, entering the Australian market.
Earlier this month, British department store John Lewis also announced it plans to launch its popular web-based home-delivery service to almost 30 countries, including Australia and New Zealand, by the end of the year. The retailer, which owns 32 same-name stores across the UK, as well as 244 Waitrose supermarkets, confirmed it would target the cities of Sydney and Auckland in August.