A new website has been launched that will make it much easier for consumers to search for Australian made products, and for local manufacturers to be found.
The website www.buyaustralianmade.com.au fills a much-needed gap in the Buy Australian marketing program at a time when many manufacturers, especially in regional areas, are finding it tougher to sell their products through traditional retail outlets as the major chains cull their product lines.
“There is very strong support from the Australian public to buy locally made products and source services from locally based companies, but until now there hasn’t been an easy way of finding them,” says BuyAustralianMade managing director, Stephen Gately.
“We applaud the steps the Federal Government is taking through the ‘Boosting Australian Industry Participation’ plan to promote Australian industry participation in big projects and procurement, and our site complements what the government is doing in this area.
“Local manufacturers deserve a fair go, and our key reason for launching the website is to have the most comprehensive and informative source for Australian-made products and services so that it becomes the go-to place for anyone looking for anything Australian made.”
With a distinctive green and gold logo, incorporating a map of Australia framed by boomerangs, the BuyAustralianMade site enables browsers to search by category and then click on individual companies to read a detailed description of their goods and services, view product images, and obtain business contact information.
BuyAustralianMade is steadily building up the content on its site by offering companies display listings. Companies wanting to list must fill in an application and state on their contract that their products are Australian made.
“It’s already working very well, with the site getting hundreds of thousands hits in the first few weeks, and the listing content is growing steadily,” Gately said.
“Most of the site hits are from search engines, with browsers mostly commonly using the keyword search ‘Australian made’. That demonstrates to me that there are a lot of people out there searching for Australian made goods and services.
“We’re really here to show that there are the Australian-made alternatives, and that consumers should be able to find them easily. There are a lot of products made in Australia that people just don’t know about.
“Manufacturers are passionate about having their goods Australian made, but on the other hand they’re frustrated that consumers are not buying their products. People need to know about the Australian-made alternatives and then make an informed decision.”
Gately said that companies on the BuyAustralianMade site received a full year of exposure and were able to showcase their products in different categories. Advertisers are also able to insert search words for browsers to find them easily, and a dynamic listing feature means their listings change positions within each category on an ongoing basis to provide equitable exposure.
“Our mission is about being the most informative choice for Australian made products and services,” Gately said.
“For shoppers, we want to make it easier for them to find Australian-made products, especially from places where they wouldn’t normally get them from ,and for the advertisers we want to bring extra customers to them who will buy their products and services.”