When you’re investing in a luxury item like a massage chair, you need to understand the difference between own-label massage chairs and those produced by Global Brands.
There’s quite a bit of confusion around this topic, which is why the experts at Relax for Life are here to outline the difference between the two manufactured types, so you can make the right choice when it comes to your new purchase.
What are Own-Labels and Global Brands?
Whether consciously or not, you’re likely to have bought a home label or own-label product over the past month… Particularly during a recession or if you’re looking to save some cash, it’s not hard to get caught up in finding and purchasing the cheaper option. And while we’re all for saving some money when it comes to products that are like for like, with investments like massage chairs, there is a clear distinction between an own label and a global brand.
Let’s delve a little bit deeper into why.
What is an Own or Home Label Brand?
Own labels, also known as private labels, home labels or no-name brands, are businesses that purchase a product from China, slap their name on it and sell locally only, with no presence or reputation elsewhere in the world. Unfortunately, many of these products do not meet Australia’s strict electrical and safety regulations and are not certified to Australian standards.
In these cases, a Chinese factory will manufacture the chair and sell it to locals who then sell it under their own brand name. You’re likely to come across own-label massage chairs at shopping centre pop-up stores, markets, TV & all over the internet (many without anywhere for you to try the massage chair before making your purchase).
What is a Global Brand?
Global brands of massage chairs are sold in multiple countries, including Australia, USA, England, Germany, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, etc., and have a strong, global reputation that has been built over the years. Global brand massage chairs are more widely distributed, tried and tested, and take accountability for their manufacturing, distribution, and marketing.
Global brands are established brands and consistent in look, feel, and quality from chair to chair in each model line-up. They also have much more consistent and powerful quality control systems in their manufacturing factories. As they make their own massage chairs, global brands have the ability to adapt and improve any product modifications that may be needed from time to time if required, to ensure reliability, longevity, and above all, the best possible massage chair product for their customers.
Should I Buy an Own Label or Global Brand Massage Chair?
While a ‘budget’ massage chair may be tempting initially, it’s more likely to cause more issues than relaxing massage sessions, defeating the entire purpose of purchasing a luxury massage product entirely! Sure, some of these sellers may have “risk-free trials” which may lead you to believe you can return the chair at any time, but speak to any customer who has tried to do this and you will soon discover all the loopholes in fine print, headaches in terms and conditions, and fees/charges involved in doing so, making it difficult for these companies to follow through on their promise.
Meanwhile, a massage chair from a renowned global brand may come with a higher upfront price tag (depending on the model), but it’s a long-term investment. When you invest in a quality product, you’re sure to thank yourself for years to come every time you take a seat and enjoy a world-class massage in your home or office.
At Relax for Life, our mission is to help as many people as possible find themselves in the latter situation. As such, we’ve put together the main points that distinguish own-label and global-brand massage chairs:
Quality
Think of buying a good massage chair like buying a car.
Most consumers look for well-known, global car brands that have high-quality standards and a consistent reputation for safety standards. They choose brands that have invested heavily in R&D to bring the best possible product to market, offer products that are sold globally, offer high levels of after-sales service, and use quality parts in their manufacturing.
If you do this for cars, why not massage chairs? After all, you’re trusting your health and well-being to these chairs as you receive your daily massage — you want to know that you’ve invested in the best quality.
Global Brands
Global massage chair brands such as Fujiryoki, DCore, OHCO, Synca, and Positive Posture all uphold high-quality control standards across their product lines and manufacturing processes, invest substantially in Research and development and involve professional shiatsu masters and world-renowned designers in the development of their massage chairs. The end result is that their products are known for their refined performance, high quality and long-life durability. Hence, they represent excellent value for money and are worth every cent when compared to the artificially inflated prices of own-label massage chairs straight off the shelf of unknown Chinese factories.
Own Label Brands
The reason no-name massage chairs should be so much cheaper is that there are limited R&D costs, cheaper components used, little to no quality assurance in no-name factory production lines. The end result is that these non-global massage chairs are substantially cheaper to import and should be significantly cheaper than Global brands. However, often such sellers are artificially inflating prices and slashing their made-up prices to fool consumers into thinking they are comparable to Global Brands.
The tip is to Google the brand name and see if you can find information on that particular massage chair anywhere in the world other than their own Australian website/s.
Wider Reach, Stronger Reputation
Global brands of massage have a global reach.
Global Brands
From manufacturers like Fujiryoki in Japan to long-standing brands in America like Positive Posture, these chairs are more widely distributed, making them not only globally recognised & desired, but also globally obtainable.
It also means that customers can easily compare prices. You can get onto the brand websites to compare the prices they are selling for to see if the local price (remember to convert to AUD!) is comparable and fair for the same brand.
Own Label Brands
Now think of home label brands, with nothing but their claims to substantiate their prices and products. We’ll leave you to decide which one wins here.
Marketing Gimmicks
We understand that, for many, the cost of the massage chair is a key driving factor on where they buy from.
Own Label Brands
Unfortunately, home label products, due to their lack of reputation, often resort to attractive (but deceptive) ‘discounts’ and marketing gimmicks. We’re sure you’ve seen the ‘50% off’ and ‘buy 1 get one free’ stickers and banners enticing you to buy a product that seems more valuable than it really is.
But ask yourself, are they really 50% off? Or have the prices been artificially inflated to make it seem that 50% off the initial price is a deal when the chair is worth much less?
Global Brands
At Relax for Life, we will never advertise a product with these marketing gimmicks, or artificially inflate prices to make them seem cheaper than other retailers. Again, you can confirm for yourself the true value of our chairs by visiting the brand’s global websites to see their genuine prices. Relax For Life prices are generally the most affordable globally as we do our best to reduce overheads to ensure we are able to offer the best possible massage chairs at the best possible prices.
After Sales Support
Purchasing a massage chair from a globally represented, reputable brand offers complete peace of mind.
Global Brands
When you purchase a massage chair from a global brand, you become a valued customer, not just extra dollars in the cash register.
You’ll receive after-sales service and support aligned with the high standards and reputations of our brands. This means that we have our own in-house service department, including our own massage chair technicians, as well as available spare parts in the unlikely event that you should ever have an issue with your chair. That’s what a true massage chair buying experience should look like — it doesn’t begin and end with the sale.
Own Label Brands
Many home-label or off-the-shelf products come from a no-name factory in China — not the professionally managed and funded factories where our favourite brands work their magic.
Own-label massage chair companies commonly use 3rd party technicians to fix their chairs and this can often lead to headaches for the customer with the fact that some of these 3rd party contractors are inexperienced and often never touched a massage chair in their life. This results in a lot of back and forth, lost time and stress for the consumer.
The professional repair manuals, instructions, and guidance that come with the Global brand massage chairs are usually non-existent in these local no-name massage chairs, which again makes any repair tasks much more difficult and time-consuming.
If the local seller — who, mind you, is not the manufacturer, who has simply slapped their company name onto the chair — were to go out of business, you’ll have no after-sales support should anything go wrong (which is likely, given the low levels of quality assurance).
Unfortunately, over our 20+ years as Australia's Massage Chair specialists, we have seen this happen to un-aware customers time after time and whilst we would like to help, we can not obtain the parts required from these unknown Chinese factories which is why we will only ever service the recognised brand massage chairs we sell - just another point of difference to Relax For Life with our quality after-sales service.
As you can see, that perceived ‘bargain’ purchase can end up being an exceedingly costly item in the long run.
So, What Should You Choose?
If your sole focus is to find generic massage chairs for the cheapest price, that’s unfortunately where we cannot help you.
However, if you’re considering the overall value proposition of your massage chair purpose as a whole, we are your best provider of quality massage chairs in the Australian industry — and your only route to getting your hands on top-quality chairs from renowned global brands. If you don't believe us, come try it out yourself. Visit our luxury showrooms in Gold Coast, Melbourne or Sydney and discover why we're Australia's leading luxury massage chair specialists.
Here’s Why You Should Choose Global Brands when it comes to Massage Chairs
- Excellent value for money. Feel free to compare our prices with the same individual brands/models sold in other countries to get a full idea of the value we offer (remember to convert to AUD!).
- Luxury experience. Visit our luxury showrooms, where you can experience each massage chair in a private and quiet setting, with the help of friendly and knowledgeable massage chair consultants.
- After-sales service. Receive industry-leading warranties and support without any hidden loopholes or additional purchases, guaranteeing peace of mind and satisfaction with your purchase.
- True massage power. One session in a chair from a global brand, and you’ll feel the difference for yourself; quality materials, superior scanning technologies, and advanced quality-of-life improvements ensure that your message hits all the right spots with perfect choreography and refinement like nothing you've ever experienced.
Relax for Life: Global Brands, Local Expertise
The choice between global brands and no-name/home-label massage chairs is so much more than just mere furniture shopping or price comparing. It’s about your health, comfort, peace of mind, and satisfaction.
As Australia’s leading provider of high-quality luxury massage chairs for over 20 years, Relax for Life offers only the best massage chairs from the most trusted and renowned global brands and manufacturers, including Australia’s ONLY Japanese Made Massage Chairs.