Electronic goods have always been a draw for tourists and residents in the UAE. With the sales on everywhere during the Dubai Shopping Festival, it's a time to rejoice .
The Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) is here and it's time for gadget lovers to drool. From nifty personal MP3 players to mammoth home-theatre systems, snazzy camcorders and high-definition plasma televisions, everything's available at great knockdown prices. The sales are practically everywhere with quirky signs that shout frantic reductions for the latest gadgets - enticing buyers into the loud and colourful miasma.
It doesn't take a soothsayer to point out that business at this time is booming. After all, practically everyone loves a good deal, especially when it involves an expensive object of desire. Let's say you've chanced upon a new MP3 player that's generating a buzz everywhere. What are the chances that you will actually buy it? Well, if you see that favourable discount, the chances are actually quite strong.
Fast off the racks
Feroz Abubecker, Divisional Manager, Hi Fi City, feels the DSF is normally a time when customers are looking for excellent deals - with all the product categories doing very well. "Discounts are up to 60 per cent with our home theatres and audio visuals line starting from Dh999," he reveals.
Some of Hi Fi City's bestsellers are the Jamo i200 Multimedia - iPod, MP3 docking station with subwoofer that is being sold at Dh699 (actual price: Dh999) - Jamo A102 HCS - home theater system for Dh1,799 (actual price: Dh2199) and the Onkyo+Wharfedale 9.5 Pro theater pack which is marked down to Dh4,699 from Dh6,530.
According to J.P. Nambiar, General Manager (Retail), Jumbo Electronics, business moves at a frenzied pace during this time with shoppers taking advantage of the special prices and deals that are offered.
"The most highly-sold products at this time are the Bravia LCD TVs, digital still cameras, laptops and mobile phones," he says.
Joining the fray is Emax electronics with a host of offers. One needs to buy anything above Dh250 to be eligible for weekly prizes from Panasonic. Go in for select plasmas/ LCDs valued over Dh3,333 and receive a 2GB MP4 free or win a Hummer just by visiting the store. "Our new products on sale include the new Vaio laptop series and new Bravia series, both from Sony as well as HD cameras," says Deepak Srivastava, Concept Head and General Manager, Emax.
Some of Emax's discounted products include the i-mate Smartflip, which is marked down at Dh999 from Dh1,499, the Creative MP4, also at Dh999 from Dh1,049 and the Pentax 6MP digital camera at Dh499 (actual price Dh569).
