The best place to shop for baby buys revealed – and the high street shop parents avoid
THE best and worst places to shop for baby items have been revealed by Which?.
The consumer group surveyed over 3,000 people on their experiences with online shops selling a range of infant products.
The 25 retailers were rated for customer score, product quality, value for money and staff helpfulness and knowledge.
And two lesser-known brands pipped bigger high street names to the top scores as well, the survey found.
Online4Baby.com and Silver Cross came joint first with overall customer scores of 81%.
Online4Baby.com received four stars for product quality, value for money and staff knowledge and was awarded Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) status.
This means not only did the company perform well in the survey, but also passed Which?’s behind-the-scenes checks on its terms and conditions and returns policies.
Eight in 10 of Online4Baby’s customers said they would recommend the retailer to a friend.
Meanwhile, shoppers praised its easy-to navigate website and extensive product range.
They also left positive reviews about its customer services team, which offers support seven days a week.
Silver Cross also earned four stars for product quality, however some respondents said it offered less value for money, meaning it was only awarded three stars in that category.
Coming in third with an 80% overall customer score was Maxi-Cosi, which was praised for its high-quality products and value for money.
Staff’s helpfulness and knowledge was rated slightly lower than other retailer’s in the list though.
John Lewis received a customer score of 79%, was awarded a WRP and given four stars for product quality and staff knowledge, but three stars for value for money.
Mamas and Papas meanwhile came in fifth, achieving a 78% customer score, scoring four stars for its product quality and staff knowledge and three stars for value for money.
At the other end of the table, a well-known high street brand came in second last.
The Range received a customer score of 67%, being awarded two stars for product quality and staff helpfulness and three stars for value for money.
Meanwhile, Currys came in joint fourth from the bottom with an overall customer score of 69%, sharing the spot with Very.co.uk.
Which?’s research also found 74% of shoppers made their most recent purchase online in a sign consumers are increasingly turning to online retail to shop for baby products.
Ele Clark, Which? retail editor, said: “Most people now buy baby products online rather than going into a physical shop, but our research suggests that mums and dads-to-be still value excellent customer service in addition to good-value and high-quality products.
“It’s great to see several retailers ticking the boxes for their customers, proving to be reliable retailers for a range of must-have baby products.
“However, we would always recommend getting your car seat professionally installed or checked by an expert if you buy it online.
“If that’s not possible, most brands have detailed installation guides on YouTube which you can follow and pause while you fit yours.”
The Sun approached The Range, Very and Curry’s for comment.
How else to save money as a parent
There’s a few other ways you can save money as a parent beyond choosing the right retailer for your baby items.
If it’s grocery shopping you’re looking to save money on, you can cut costs by opting for yellow-sticker products.
Supermarkets put these on items when reducing them and you could save up to 75%.
Meanwhile, you can save money on baby items by comparing prices across retailers.
For example, if you come across a baby chair online, you can use price comparison sites to see how much other retailers are selling it for.
Price Runner, Price Spy and the Google Shopping tab are all good options.
A lot of the time, you can find a product cheaper elsewhere, unless the original one has been massively slashed in price.
Meanwhile, you could buy clothes second-hand and save yourself a fortune.
The Sun spoke to one mum who revealed five things to buy second-hand and four to avoid to save hundreds of pounds.
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