In the past most people would have to visit a number of stores each selling a particular type of baby item to buy everything they needed for their infants. However, the sudden growth in the number of all in one type baby shops around Sydney have meant that parents just need to visit one store to buy 90% of what they need from there. But the problem with many of these stores is that they can be expensive and not always have the best quality items. Many of these stores lack the selection of certain items which forces parents to search for what they need elsewhere. If you are a price and quality conscious consumer there are a number of things you’d want to consider when buying online.
A return policy
The truth is that there are low quality baby strollers, baby car seats and baby bags being sold all over the internet. Many of these are knockoffs of the original item which is why they look exactly like the real thing in pictures. 90% of people will not able to spot a knockoff or low quality baby item by simply looking at pictures regardless of how much they are zoomed. These knockoffs and low quality items can only be spotted when you hold the item in hand and have used them for a few days. This is why if you’re going to shop online the store needs to have a return policy. It needs to be an ‘unconditional’ return policy which means no questions asked. You may not need to worry about this particular aspect of your purchase if you’re buying offline because you can properly examine the item in your hands prior to buying.
The shop should be registered
Baby shops in Sydney need to be registered and that is the only way you’ll know that you’re doing business with a company that can be sued in the event of an issue. Businesses like Grace baby have been selling baby products for years and have a reputation to maintain which is why they will never stoop to selling low quality items or knockoffs.
Check reviews
Before you buy online make it a point to do a bit of research about the business. Find out how long the business has been operating in Sydney or Australia and what people are saying about it. There are a number of forums and websites where people will discuss their experience with a particular online store. Ideally, you’ll want to buy what you need from a baby shop that has a good reputation. However, the truth is that people who have had a bad experience are twice as likely to discuss it as opposed to someone who had a positive experience.
The online store should have a physical location
If you’re living in Sydney then you’ll obviously want to do business with baby shops that are located there too. The reason being that in the event of a dispute you can always pay the store a visit. Many times the issue may not necessarily be with the store itself and can be resolved via a personal visit. Knowing the physical location of the store also means that there is a low chance of it running away with your money and you can speak to the manager if you have an issue. There are many online stores that do not necessarily have an offline store but they have an operational headquarters you can visit.
There needs to be a customer service number
Regardless of if the baby shop is in Sydney or in some other city it should have a customer service number. This can either be a toll free number or a regular landline. Having a number you can call means that you can get in touch with customer service in the event of if you receive damaged items, want a refund or your card got charged twice. There are many online stores that cut costs by not having a number but this will only mean that you’ll not get any help in the event you need to ask something or return an item. Even if there is a number listed you’d want to call to make sure it connects you to someone.
Manu has been a sales and marketing consultant for online businesses for twelve years. He started off as a sales manager many years ago for a baby shop in Sydney. Today he runs one of the leading baby shops as part of his online ecommerce empire. He also works as a consultant for businesses who want to make it big in the online market place. Grace Baby in Facebook.
