With the current credit crunch and financial meltdown, more and more Australians are curbing their spending and turning en masse to the Internet to find better prices. Indicators also show that people are starting to be concerned over Christmas, and traditional retailers are expecting lower spending levels this year as many bargain hunters opt for online shopping to make their dollar go further. Recent economic research revealed that e-commerce is on average 25% cheaper than retail because the sellers can pass on the savings from things like rent and electricity to the buyers. Lucky for our customers, at Milan Direct we are committed to making designer furniture more affordable for all Australians. Our streamlined direct-to-the-customer business model allows us to cut out the middlemen and deliver designer furniture to anyone in Australia for a far better price than our competitors. We’d love to get your thoughts on this. Do you think online retail provides customers with better value for money in these difficult times? Will you be shopping online this Christmas?
Comments
Hear what our customer's have to say.
Tina says...
The difficulty with this concept is that one is unable to view the quality of the cheaper product in order to understand whether it is the lack of showroom overheads or the downgrading of materials that have provided the savings offered.
Being able to "try before you buy" will always remain a powerful and proven concept.
Apple computers and even Matt Blatt have a showroom.
Posted at 6:38 p.m. on October 27, 2008
Milan Direct says...
Tina,
You are correct that the only advantage that traditional brick and mortar stores have over online stores is the ability to "try before you buy". However at Milan Direct we have thought this through to ensure customers are 100% satisfied with their purchase.
i.e
-We offer a 7 day money back guarantee, whereby you can purchase from Milan Direct and if you are not 100% highly satisfied can return the product for a full refund (less shipping costs).
-All Milan Direct products are backed by a 1 year Standard Warranty (extended 3yr and 5yr warranty's can be purchased for extra piece of mind.
-We take professional photographs of all products so you know with Milan Direct, what you see is what you get!
-We also have most products on display and in use in our head office in Melbourne, which is open to the public Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm. By combining our head office and showroom together, no extra costs are incurred (in line with our business model) and anyone come come and "try before you buy!"
Posted at 8:22 a.m. on October 28, 2008
Narelle Moran says...
That's great when you offer a money back guarantee but that could still cost me $150 postage to send it back to you if it's inferior/poor quality to what I am expecting
Posted at 9:34 p.m. on November 12, 2008
Milan Direct says...
Hi Narelle,
Thanks a lot for your feedback. There are indeed pro's and con's of shopping online compared to brick and mortar - and your point is a valid one.
However, shopping online means you get MUCH better prices, generally 30% to 60% less than traditional retail.
Besides, Milan Direct products are premium-end reproductions and nobody really even takes up the 7-day money back guarantee, due to the high quality of Milan Direct products received. To be honest, our existing customers usually rave about our products and are always impressed with the fantastic quality.
In addition, in the unlikely event of a product arriving damaged to your home, Milan Direct will replace it free of charge at our expense - ensuring our customers get a stress-free shopping experience.
And if you're still a bit unsure about shopping online without being able to see our products first, I invite you to have a quick look at customer feedback on our eBay site - as we have served thousands of highly satisfied customers:
http://feedback.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=milandirect&ftab=AllFeedback&_trksid=p3911.c0.m198
All the best - Milan Direct
Posted at 12:19 p.m. on November 14, 2008
Leave Your Comment Below
Simply write your name and comment below and click the button.