Canon Closes Online Store in Australia to ‘Support Local Retail Partners’
A couple of days ago, Canon Australia announced that it would be shutting down its online store, essentially ceasing direct sales on the continent. Why? According to Canon, they want to “support local retail partners” by sending customers their way.
The announcement was published on September 1st, and it’s a notice of sorts: on September 30th, the Canon Australia online store will shut down “for the foreseeable future.”
“The unprecedented challenges currently facing the Australian market has seen Canon Australia re-examine the best way to help consumers access our products, services and support,” writes Canon. “As a result, we are proudly streamlining our efforts in supporting local retailers to drive competition in the local market and bring you the best value product offers, promotions, services and experiences possible.”
Customers can still order products from the Canon Australia online store from now until September 30th, and they will still receive free shipping and Canon’s “14 Day Peace of Mind return policy.” After that—or if you’re looking at a product that’s on backorder—you’ll need to order from one of Canon’s official retail partners. If you have a gift card or voucher for the Canon Store, you’ll need to either use it by September 30th or get in touch with Canon to see how you can carry over those funds.
The cynical among us will wonder if this has more to do with cutting costs than “supporting retail partners,” but whatever the reason, it seems Canon AU is doing its best to make this a streamlined process for everyone.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on this development moving forward, just in case Canon is planning to roll out this strategy to other regions like Europe and North America. In the meantime, if you live in Australia and want to find out more about these changes and how they will (or won’t) impact you, head over to the Canon AU FAQ page here.
