Buying British ... How loyal are our customers?

31st August 2011

Recently we carried out a survey with our Stockists, and were surprised that although they felt that is was important that Griffin NuuMed were a British manufacturer, using British materials... they did not feel that all of their customers still felt the same way.

Consumers' views are often now "I'll buy the best possible quality that I can afford, if its British, that's nice, but it won't be the deciding factor". Sadly, it seems that this thought process is spreading. With manufacturing production costs in the UK rising continually, it is often making the end products more expensive than their imported competitors, resulting in more and more companies faced with the choice of either moving their manufacturing overseas or folding the business!

The question is, how much is the British consumer still willing (and able) to pay for a British product? A difficult question to find a definitive answer to.

However, not all the news is doom and gloom, Britain has a manufacturing sector to be proud of and which contributes significantly to the health and wealth of the UK economy. Figures at the beginning of 2011 state that the UK remains the world's sixth biggest manufacturer - a fact which surprises most people when they hear it. This sector generates around £140bn a year for the UK economy ... nothing to be sniffed at. But this will only continue if the UK consumer continues to support their UK manufactures, which is harder and harder when other imported products are often cheaper, and the current economic climate is dictating that we all tighten our belts, and look for the best value for money, no matter where it comes from!

But is it really value for money? One thing that the UK still leads the world with is our high quality - and this fact should be something that everyone in the UK knows, but sadly not many do. This same production quality cannot be said for many of the cheaper manufacturing countries. Labour in many of the other manufacturing countries is cheap and is often piecework based, which can result in the products being made using little or no skill and attention, resulting in varying levels of quality. This poor manufacturing quality combined with inferior materials results in far shorter life-spans of products, and so, are they really ‘better value for money' in the long run?

The UK saddlery market has for a long time held itself at the forefront of world saddle and bridle manufacturing, due to the fine craftsmanship, design, and commitment to the safety and wellbeing of horses and riders, given by the members of the UK Society of Master Saddlers. Worldwide, British made saddles still command higher prices and are in great demand. Other UK equestrian manufacturers, by providing the same high quality, design and customer service, have also seen their brands becoming well known and sort after. It's just the British consumer that seems to be forgetting this!

Maybe if we stopped being quite so ‘British' and learned to be more vocal about how great our manufacturing (and quality) is, we could remind our UK consumers of this fact and hope that the same patriotism will mean that they support their home manufacturers through these hard times. Come on everyone ... Buy British ... and get the very best value for money!

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