Dubai: There will be several new laptops and televisions making their debut at Gitex Shopper Spring Edition, as well as Windows 8 products. Millions of dirhams worth in prizes are also up for grabs with promotions, raffles and giveaways, including a Mini Cooper 2013 that can be won every day of the show.
“Gitex Shopper Spring is a chance for consumers to snap up great bargains on the latest electronic products and gadgets. All the major retailers are present with substantially larger stands to provide more choice of products and more convenience. This is definitely an event that is not to be missed,” Hemesh Chandavarkar, a director at the Dubai World Trade Centre, told Gulf News. More than 30,000 products are expected to be on offer at the show.
“Smartphones continue to be the front runners. IT products and accessories should also do well. Smart TVs and LED panels will also find buyers given their attractive prices,” said Niranjan Gidwani, Deputy CEO of Eros Group.
Ashish Panjabi, COO at Jacky’s Electronics, said customers want access to deals more often, especially since breakthroughs in technology mean the lifecycle of products are becoming shorter.
“UAE is considered a shoppers paradise and consumers are always on the lookout for deals and new products. The event is a major attraction and beneficial to consumers, brands and retailers,” said Nadeem Khanzadah, Head of Retail at Jumbo Electronics.
Retailers
In addition to Samsung, other brands and retailers represented at the show will include One mobile, Blackberry, Dell, du, HP, Nokia, V. V and Sons and many more.
“The event continues to be one of most successful platforms for Samsung to engage and interact with our customers. Not only will we showcase cutting edge technologies from Samsung, but our customers can also expect exciting offers on the latest Samsung products at this year’s event,” said Firas Tayfour, Head of Retail at Samsung Gulf Electronics.
Look for:
Smartphones: With Samsung’s recently announced S4 going to be launched soon, good deals can be expected on their S3 and Note 2. Apple has started paying more attention to the UAE and the event could see them promote their iphones more aggressively with their partners. Nokia has been increasing their range of Lumia devices and the latest models are available in time for this Shopper.
Tablets: The Apple iPad Mini remains in demand. Samsung has also made several inroads into the market for tablets in the last few months. However, original equipment manufacturers, like Asus, will continue to maintain the lion’s share of the entry level devices in the Dh299 to Dh499 range.
Laptops: This traditionally has been the big-seller at the Shopper. Most manufacturers now have Windows 8 on their entire range. This has seen the introduction of several hybrid laptops that can function like tablets. These hybrids should become increasingly popular as many tablets still don’t have all the functionality of laptops. Gitex Shopper 2012 witnessed 50,000 laptop sales in eight days.
Televisions: Televisions are becoming smarter and bigger — 46” and above. Retailers expect more sales of 60-inch televisions this year as prices have started reaching more realistic levels. 4K or Ultra HD televisions are still new and short of content, so sales may be slow for the time being.
