came another reminder of the consumer’s complexity when Shopify data released this morning showed the number of Australians purchasing from Shopify merchants rose 16.9 per cent in June. It’s clear that consumers are still spending, although the threshold for winning their confidence has veered. It was a question worth putting to the people building some of Australia’s most successful consumer brands. Inside Retail asked six leaders what the past financial year taught them and what they are carrying into FY27.  Sinead Roberts, Wotnot Naturals When asked what surprised Wotnot Naturals chief executive Sinead Roberts most over the past year, she said it was the sophistication with which customers now interrogate brands before they buy. “Honestly? How ingredient-literate our customers have become, they’re scanning products with apps like Yuka before they even buy, checking the toxicity score, comparing us against competitors on the spot.” That heightened scrutiny extends beyond product formulation. Roberts admitted that in the next fiscal year, she’ll be paying closer attention to artificial intelligence. “Making sure we’re visible and trusted in AI-generated answers is the priority this year; it’s the new front door.” She said, observing that intelligence is rapidly becoming retail’s next gateway. Camille Peressini & Georgie Gilbert, Soma Luxury, according to Soma founders Camille Peressini and Georgie Gilbert, has become far more democratic in the last year than retailers once assumed. The ex-Mecca executives’ brand launched on supermarket shelves in 2025 with a prestige-inspired body wash featuring an array of scents, some reminiscent of Tom Ford’s fragrances. The brand outdid first-year sales targets with Woolworths, selling more than 300,000 bottles and has since expanded into 175 BIG W stores and diversified into hand wash, body scrubs and fragrance. For FY27, the founders believe customers want brands to become more than just isolated purchases. It’s a distinction carrying significant commercial potential. “As we head into our second year, we’ll continue listening closely to our customers as we develop new categories, expand our retail footprint and create more opportunities.” Aliza Carr, Franjos Kitchen If one category has demonstrated unusual resilience throughout Australia’s cost-of-living squeeze, it is maternal wellness. For Franjos Kitchen founder Aliza Carr, the past year challenged assumptions about where consumers would tighten their budgets. “Mothers are not cutting back on products that genuinely support their bodies, their recovery and their milk supply,” she said. More than 300 boxes of the company’s lactation cookies now reach Australian mothers every day, while its national launch into Chemist Warehouse in February came with an opening purchase order worth almost $1 million. This year, her most successful campaign, Lift Like a Mother, reached more than five million mothers globally. “Three weeks after the campaign launched, we launched our EOFY sale and recorded the single biggest three-day sale in eleven years of business,” she said.  Beatrice Laloli, Eve Wellness For women’s supplement brand Eve Wellness, founder Beatrice Laloli says the past financial year exposed an evolution in consumer expectations. Supplements are now judged by convenience and design, as well as by the emotional affinity consumers feel towards a brand. “Customers expect a brand they connect to, aesthetics that reflect how they see themselves, products that add enjoyment to their days, that are convenient to weave into their busy schedules,” she said. Heading into FY27, Laloli’s focus is on identifying overlooked demand and international developments before they reach Australia’s mainstream, suggesting tomorrow’s commercial opportunities may lie in categories others have yet to notice. “Sometimes this means finding untapped needs or ‘unsexy’ areas and finding ways to make them enjoyable, aesthetic, convenient and culturally relevant.” Priscilla Hajiantoni, Bangn Body Bangn Body founder Priscilla Hajiantoni has spent the past six years building one of Australia’s fastest-growing skincare brands, generating $8 million in revenue within two years of launching in 2019. Yet the most valuable insight she takes into FY27 has little to do with sales and more to do with consumer input. “They’re giving feedback, asking questions, celebrating our wins, and genuinely helping shape what’s next,” she said. The appetite became apparent well before several recent launches reached shelves, with customers generating considerable momentum through conversation and anticipation alone. It has continued as Bangn Body broadened its retail footprint through Stylerunner alongside Sephora and its direct channels. Looking ahead to FY27, Hajiantoni remains wary of launching products simply to chase a trend. “We’ll be paying the closest attention to what our customers are telling us.” Inflation, elevated interest rates and restrained household spending have hardly made FY26 an easy year to trade, yet these brands have continued to find momentum. Soma surpassed first-year sales targets and sold more than 300,000 bottles before expanding into 175 BIG W stores. Franjos Kitchen secured a near-$1 million opening order with Chemist Warehouse and recorded its strongest three-day sales period in 11 years. Bangn Body broadened its retail footprint through Stylerunner, while Wotnot is preparing for AI to become retail’s next front door. They comprise different categories and strategies, yet each enters FY27 with evidence that thoughtful innovation still finds an audience, even in a more exacting market.