Badung
The Center of Tourism
Billabong Brand Favoured by Tourists
In Bali, Billabong
is an extremely favourite product. Not
only foreign tourists, many locals also
search for it. The collected data indicates
that 70% of Billabong’s buyers are
foreign tourists and the remaining are
locals. “This percentage will turn
to be inversely proportional to the occasion
of school vacation season, Idul Fitri,
Christmas and New Year,” said Arini
Sukmawati, Promo & PR Division of
Billabong to Bali Travel News.
According
to Arini, many tourists that visit Bali
feel incomplete if they do not purchase
a Billabong product. This matter is indicated
by the fact that the ‘surf shop’
selling Billabong never lacks buyers.
Billabong does not restrict its target
market. Even though it’s a surfing
brand, Billabong product are open to everybody.
It’s a surfing brand from Australia
that has been celebrated and distributed
across the world. The word Billabong means
‘oasis’ that is taken from Aboriginal
language (native to Australia). In Australia,
the word Billabong is widely used as product
or property brand name like hotel, ice
cream and so forth.
Though Billabong is a surfing brand, its
products are not limited to surfing equipment
and cloth only. Billabong also manufactures
products that can be worn by various circles.
However, in general, the Billabong products
are divided into garments (T-shirts, board
shorts, walk shorts, shirts, jackets,
skirts, dresses, etc.) and accessories
(hats, wallets, belts, sandals and so
forth). Then, Billabong products are psycho
graphically classified into those for
men, boys, kids, ladies, toddlers and
junior. “The most favourite product
is T-shirt,” Arini added.
Billabong Australia was established in
1973 and in keeping with market development,
it set about to penetrate the market in
other countries. Billabong entered Indonesia
in 1990 where CV Bali Balance holds its
distribution license for all over Indonesia.
On being asked about where else Billabong
products are manufactured, according to
Arini, they can be known by the ‘tag’
attached to each product. Most Billabong
products are made in China. While, shirt
mostly manufactured in India. “By
considering the quality of Indonesian
cotton that is reasonably fine, Billabong
also produces T-shirt locally. All Billabong
products that sold in Bali are made of
Indonesian material, 100% pure Indonesian,”
Arini stated.
In Bali, Billabong products can be obtained
at all surf shops. They are mostly located
in Kuta and its vicinity. With over 40
outlets, Billabong can be purchased from
Kuta, Legian to Ubud.
On account of Billabong products are best
selling in Bali, her party is now facing
the distribution of counterfeit Billabong
products. This assuredly provokes the
Billabong producer that has hundreds of
employees to anger, in which T-shirt category
is forged in the largest number. To fight
against this counterfeit, Billabong has
special team that continuously execute
surveillance, especially at places that
suspected to sell such bogus products.
“They do not only operate in Bali,
but all over Indonesia,” she uttered.
Her party also perform legal action against
those parties that support such counterfeit
products. “Whoever, either producers
or vendors that have been captured on
account of being involved in this counterfeit
business, we will settle them through
legal procedure,” she said. (BTN/015)
