Dubai
The fifth edition of Gitex Shopper Spring 2017 concluded on a positive note despite early concerns.
Some retailers have sweetened deals and cut prices on some models to boost revenues on the last two days.
The official figures, relating to footfall and sales revenues, are not expected to be released soon, but retailers were in a buoyant mood as shoppers thronged the narrow alleyways of the Exhibition Centre.
Some brands have reduced the prices for the last day on some models by about Dh200 and on some old smartphones by 50 per cent.
Deals and prices were changing every hour or so on Saturday with salespersons in coloured uniforms handing out leaflets every 50 metres or so and thumping music blaring out from every stall, entering the hall is something of a sensory overload.
But it is not just retailers anticipating a successful conclusion to this year’s Shopper. Consumers are also enthusiastic about securing a big bargain.
The promotions and bundled offers are paying off, with electronics chains reporting a boost in revenues compared with last year’s event.
Honestly, to my surprise the show was good and beyond our expectation, said Mahesh Chotrani, Assistant Vice-President at Jacky’s Electronics.
“My revenues are up by 8-9 per cent year on year as of Friday. Still, one more day to go. The number of units sold remains the same but the average selling price has gone up, he said.
For different retailers, the best-selling products were also different.
Notebooks were the best-selling category for Jacky’s, followed by TVs and cameras. For Sharaf DG, smartphones were the best, followed by laptops and cameras.
Chotrani said that smartphone category has been little disappointing, as expected, amid lack of new models.
“We had a very good offer on Lenovo’s Moto Z for Dh1,449 with the add-ons compared to the regular price of Dh2,299,” he said.
He said that all the retailers and brands focused on the mid- to high-end laptops instead of the usual entry-level notebooks to make it more attractive. People used to come to Shopper to buy the mid- to high-end models from the beginning but for the last two to three years, buyers were focusing on entry-level models.
Jacky’s have recorded 50 per cent growth in DSLR sales.
Samsung had started taking pre-orders for Galaxy S8 for Dh2,799 and S8 plus for Dh3,099 at the stand. The product is expected to be available in the UAE on April 21.
Pankaj Kumar, vice-president at Sharaf DG, said that the show was beyond expectations. TV sales were flat at the stands. Camera sales have surprisingly done well this year, both in volume and value.
Mathew Varghese, 48, from India, said that it is better to be on the last day as retailers reduce the prices and sweeten the bundle offers.
Sharaf DG is offering HP i7 laptop with 8GB RAM and 512GB hard disk for Dh6,999 plus an iPhone 7 32GB black for free, and Samsung S7 edge 128GB for Dh1,999. The phone was priced at Dh2,599 plus bundles.
“I came here to buy a 55-inch TV but finally ended up buying a 65-inch TV due to the price drop and the offers. I was tempted to buy many things but controlled myself. This month, I had spent on my house rent and car insurance. Otherwise, I would have purchased a camera and a laptop,” he said.
Key retailers praised DWTC, organisers of the show, for doing a great job of attracting the footfall despite some other shows going on in adjacent halls.
The organisers have added more ticket counters for the last two days and reduced the ticket prices from Dh25 to Dh20, and even offering free parking for buyers of Dh300 and above.
Life Pharmacy was offering 70 per cent discounts on all health-related products while City Moments and X-pressions were selling watches at more than 50 per cent discount.
