An increasing proportion of Australian consumers are more likely to buy a product if it’s made in Australia, the latest findings from Roy Morgan Research reveal.
In the 12 months to September 2015, 89.2 per cent of Australians aged 14 and over showed a dominant preference toward locally made products – an improvement on the 86.5 per cent who did so in 2013.
Within the FMCG category, locally made food and wine has experienced an increase in consumer preference from 2013, with a 3.3, and 2.4 per cent rise accordingly.
Michele Levine, CEO, Roy Morgan Research, says these results indicate a robust period of growth for Australia’s manufacturing sector.
While Australian products remain the country’s number one preference, the findings also indicate an increased comfortability with purchasing products made overseas, a development facilitated by shifting modes of consumption such as e-commerce retailing, according to Levine.
“Alongside our renewed enthusiasm for Australian-made goods, we are becoming increasingly open to, and comfortable with, the idea of buying foreign-made products.
“Online shopping has broadened our retail horizons, enabling us to purchase items made in all corners of the globe. International retailers with a bricks-and-mortar presence in Australia have also boosted our perception of foreign-made products”.
Growing numbers of consumers say they’d be more likely to buy goods made in Canada (51.5 per cent, up from 42.6 per cent in 2013), Sweden (44.1 per cent, up from 36.3 per cent), France (40.9 per cent, up from 32.5 per cent) and Spain (27.8 per cent, up from 21.3 per cent).
While these countries saw the biggest improvement in public approval, traditionally less well regarded nations such as India (15.8 percent, up from 12.8 per cent), South Africa (21.1 per cent, up from 16.5 per cent) and Chile (13.5 per cent, up from 9.6 per cent) are also being seen in a more positive light by Australian shoppers.
The nation’s top trading partner, China, was one of the few countries that lost support over the last few years.
