Dubai
Tech-savvy shoppers flocked the floor space hunting for bargains and bundle offers as the 27th Gitex Shopper Autumn edition opened on Saturday with high energy and buzz at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
With the consumer electronics market in the UAE continuing to benefit from the strong private consumption and high business confidence in the local economy, the country will remain one of the leading consumer technology markets in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.
The eight-day event was opened by Sami Al Qamzi, director-general of the Dubai Department of Economic Development.
In 2016, the event attracted over 200,000 visitors and total sales of over Dh240 million.
The event provides an additional platform for retailers to put their best foot forward in a bid to showcase the latest in consumer electronics with bundle offers and promotions as there was slow sales during the last four months.
Also, the co-located domestic appliances and home segment seek to bring the latest in home appliances, energy efficient white goods and smarthome technology.
Nilesh Khalkho, CEO of Sharaf DG, said that smartphones, as usual, will see good sales with various flagship new launches and laptops are popular at this time — especially convertibles and gaming laptops plus some select new models with Intel eighth-generation processors.
“This year we also see good value for customers to upgrade to ultra-large screen TVs (75 inches and above) with some aggressive offers. Finally, we see the category of smart home and wearables growing well — we have the Amazon Echo, Nest Thermostat, Google Smart Home speaker available as well as a wide range of smartwatches and fitness trackers,” he said.
Sharaf DG is targeting a slight growth over last year due to the various new launches and some of the aggressive offers planned.
“We have focused on offering some great price value to customers this year across all TV segments. We have options of bundle offers with home theatres as well as direct price discounts depending on what customers would like to choose,” he said.
Jumbo Electronics has earmarked $2 million for promotions and bundle offers.
Nadeem Khanzadah, Head of OmniChannel Retail at Jumbo Group, said that the launch of Note 8 and iPhones is coinciding with Gitex, so telecom should do very well, followed by IT and TVs.
“People who may not have thought about bigger TV displays are now buying it and it will be driven by size,” he said.
Jacky’s Electronics has earmarked $3 million for the shopper.
Mahesh Chotrani, assistant vice-president of Jacky’s Electronics, said that TV sales are declining but cameras are stable and will offer good prices to entice buyers.
Jacky’s is offering five couples a paid trip to Switzerland by purchasing products for more than Dh449.
Dell is offering eight buyers (one per day) to experience eight wonders of Dubai with purchase of any gaming machines.
