Dubai The emergence of smartphones as the mobility device of choice has created a booming market for accessories and retailers are cashing in on the growing demand, said industry experts.
"Smartphones are generally higher-value products, so consumers are willing to spend more on accessories. There is also a shift to higher-quality accessories, replacing the cheap, white-label products," Patrick Hayat, managing director, emerging markets, Belkin Middle East and Africa, told Gulf News.
"The regional market for smartphone accessories will double to more than $50 million (Dh183.61 million) this year compared to more than $25 million last year," Hayat said.
According to Michael Morgan, senior analyst, mobile devices, ABI Research, the global smartphone industry is expected to help the accessories market top $20 billion this year.
"With the smartphone market booming, the number of different accessories is also growing. It's hard for us to keep up with demand," Hayat said.
Looking ahead, Morgan said that the forecast for the smartphone accessories market is $38 billion by 2017.
Shruti Kushwaha, sales director at ERD Global, India, said that the difference in spending is driven by a combination of consumers spending more per accessory and purchasing more accessories for smartphones compared to the average cellphone owner.
Kushwaha said the Middle East is a huge market for ERD Global, which makes covers and chargers for smartphones, due to the high penetration rate of smartphones.
Hayat said ERD was the first to bring out covers and docking stations for the new iPad in the region. Apple never reveals the size or shape of new products until the last moment and the company had to pump up production to be the first in the market and meet the demand, she added.
Key segment
Accessories for Apple products are the fastest moving in the region, followed by BlackBerry and Samsung, Morgan said, adding that consumers are looking for accessories that are intelligent and integrate not only with their smartphone hardware but software as well.
"Retailers have been making money out of iPhone and iPod accessories, such as cases and speaker docks, for years, and there's no reason to doubt that even greater opportunities are available in the handset market," Kushwaha said.
