Australia's home textile imports up as buyers' preferences change

This change indicates that consumers are now more interested in outdoor recreational activities. 

Australia imported home textiles worth $2.381 billion in 2022, out of which bed imports accounted for $613.499 million or 25.76 per cent. In contrast, during the COVID year 2020, the total import of home textiles was $3.105 billion, with bed imports amounting to $492.118 million (15.85 per cent). This shows a significant increase in the import of beds after the pandemic, according to Fibre2Fashion’s market insight tool TexPro. 

The import of camping products also saw a rise, with $222.265 million (9.33 per cent) imported in 2022, compared to $136.551 million (4.40 per cent) in 2020. This indicates that buyers prefer to spend on products used for outdoor activities. Inbound shipments of bathroom and kitchen products also increased to $196.902 million (8.27 per cent) in 2022, from $146.594 million (4.72 per cent) in 2020. 

According to TexPro, Camping products experienced a significant increase in imports, causing them to rank fourth among the top imported home textile products. In 2020, this category was fifth on the list. On the other hand, bathroom and kitchen products saw slower growth, dropping from fourth to fifth position in 2022.

Although the import of made-ups and floor products decreased in 2022, these products still maintained their position in the top five imported home textiles due to their large import size. Australia's import of made-ups decreased significantly to $690.543 million (29 per cent of total) in 2022 from $1,648 million (53.07 per cent) in 2020. Flooring imports were $247.264 million (10.38 per cent) in 2022 compared to $372.791 million (12 per cent) in 2020. These products ranked first and third, respectively, among the top five imported home textile products, as per TexPro. 

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)