From ‘clicks to bricks’: leading Aussie dot-com opens superstore in Perth

Following the resounding success and interest in our Melbourne and Sydney retail stores we are most excited about opening in Nedlands – the first of its kind in Perth.

From ‘clicks to bricks’: leading Aussie dot-com opens superstore in Perth

Bad Backs (badbacks.com.au), Australia’s number one back pain relief website, has opened its first WA-based retail store in Nedlands, Perth. 

While the trend for online shopping continues to sweep the nation, this established dot-com is reversing the trend, and has in recent years opened shop fronts in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, following enormous online success and in response to a growing need for customers to ‘touch and feel’ their products.  In addition back pain has become an increasing consumer health problem, with over 80% of Australians being affected at some stage in their lives.

The superstore is located at 174 Stirling Highway Nedlands and showcases over 500 products from the Bad Backs catalogue, enabling customers to come in and try the products before they buy – whether it be a shoulder brace, ergonomic office chair or adjustable bed. 

“Following the resounding success and interest in our Melbourne and Sydney retail stores we are most excited about opening in Nedlands – the first of its kind in Perth.  The Perth market, and neighbouring areas represent a significant proportion of our online sales, and for some time we have had Perth customers wanting to come in and see the merchandise for themselves, so we are delighted that they will now have that opportunity,” says Felicity Wood, director of Bad Backs.

“When we started the Bad Backs online store, it was never part of our original business plan to open ‘bricks and mortar’ retail outlets, however customer service is a large part of our offering and through dialogue with our customers, we uncovered a growing need to ‘touch and feel’ the merchandise”, says Felicity.

“More so than other online sellers, I believe that the nature of our products creates a need for a more tactile experience.  In addition some of our older customers are less confident with online shopping and need a little more reassurance before they buy, and our experienced customer service staff are on hand to answer their questions”, explains Felicity.

As a frustrated chronic back pain sufferer, Felicity Wood identified a gap in the market for products and resources for back pain and seven years ago started badbacks.com.au, offering a combination of products and objective specialist information and research from multidisciplinary healthcare professionals.

Key to the business’ success is its establishment of an online community of users, who are drawn to the site, not only to access information, but to a popular discussion forum, where users can share their own personal experiences and information.

“It’s been a crazy seven years, but an awesome journey”, says Felicity, founder of Bad Backs.  “This business has evolved from my own frustrating experience with back pain, which left me with few places to go for information or solutions.  Bad Backs allows people to access up-to-date information, as well as sharing their experience, because when you are suffering from back and joint pain, you sometimes feel very much alone”, explains Felicity.

About Bad Backs

Bad Backs (www.badbacks.com.au) is Australia’s number one online destination for back pain relief resources and products.

With more than 80% of Australians suffering chronic back pain, Bad Backs is committed to providing information and resources to help ensure sufferers receive high-quality, information (traditional and holistic) enabling them to make informed decisions.

Since its inception in 2001, Bad Backs has gone from strength to strength, with growth around 40% per annum.  Following years of business growth and success, in an online environment, the decision to open a ‘bricks and mortar’ outlet was driven largely by customers seeking opportunities to ‘try before they buy’.  Bad Backs currently has retail stores in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, with further outlets planned for other states.

Bad Backs is a source of high-quality, value-for-money products (500+), spanning ergonomic chairs, to lumbar support and massager’s, with the selection largely driven by customer demand and feedback.  Our products have also been selected in consultation by a team of health professionals (traditional and holistic), who also provide a comprehensive range of content related to chronic back pain management.  

Online visitors return to the site to access the latest innovations and developments in spinal care research, which is sourced from leading international research institutes, hospitals, Government health resources and increasingly from Government-approved alternative therapy sources.

In addition to the latest research and information, Bad Backs has built a community of chronic back pain sufferers with a popular discussion forum related to pain management, providing users with the opportunity to share their personal experiences.

Following its resounding Australian success, the business extended its operations abroad, with the December 2006 launch of www.badbackstore.com in the USA.

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For further information please contact:

Rebecca Camilleri
PR Consultant to Bad Backs
Contact via email
Mobile: 0407 832 093