<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Tech spending recession-proof
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Electronic stores report strong sales due to falling prices </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Serene Luo
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
</TD><TD vAlign=bottom>
Customised casings for Dell laptops at the Comex show. Lower prices and a lifestyle attuned to technology are contributing to Singaporeans' steady demand for electronic goods despite the recent financial downturn. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->THERE is no end to the love affair Singaporeans have with gadgets, judging by the way they continue to spend their cash on cellphones, flat-screen television sets and notebook computers.
Electronic stores have reported strong sales, buoyed, they said, by falling prices which made items that much more attractive.
And at the recently concluded electronics show Comex, shoppers spent $56 million over four days, compared to $48 million last year.
LCD screens and cameras flew off the shelves at the Comex show, said Mr Melvin Koh, general manager of event organiser Eastern Directories.
Computer sales at electronics retailer Courts are up compared to the same period last year, said its country director James Friel.
At Best Denki, sales of flat-screen TVs are also strong, said its operations and marketing director C.J. Raj.
The electronics retailer recently started putting in corners for Apple products in its stores because 'we felt the IT industry was growing rapidly'.
One reason for the continued spending: the same gadget costs much less now compared to a few years ago. For instance, prices of flat-screen TVs have come down from about $6,000 for a 42-inch screen three years ago to $2,000 or less today.
Mr Alvin Lee, managing director of electronics store Audio House, said: 'When prices are very attractive, people will continue to buy the items even if they don't need them straightaway.'
Also, people would buy multiples of the same item, like a flat-screen TV, 'one each for their parents, and for the children', said Mr Koh.
Healthy crowds have also been seen at telco shops on weekends.
'It is still largely business as usual and we have not seen the problems in the financial markets making an impact yet,' said M1 spokesman Chua Swee-Kiat.
StarHub said that 'take-up of our suite of info-communications services and devices remained healthy', and reported a 'surge in uptake' for its Digital Voice Home service while SingTel said there was 'no noticeable change' in the number of patrons and number of transactions at its stores.
Worldwide, sales of computers are still going at full speed, said two big market research firms IDC and Gartner.
IDC on Monday reported that 20.2 million PCs were sold in the Asian-Pacific region in the third quarter, a 12 per cent jump over the same period last year.
The Consumer Electronics Association in the United States also expected spending on video games, cameras, music players and other gadgets to grow 3.5 per cent in the fourth quarter - though that is half the rate of the same period last year.
While they will not quit buying gadgets during the downturn, shoppers told The Straits Times they would search to get the best bang for their buck.
National serviceman Stephen Gong said he shopped around Sim Lim Square for the best price for a Halo 3 game for his recently purchased Xbox 360 game console.
The 19-year-old said he paid $49 for the game, instead of the recommended retail price of $74.90, a saving of about $25.
Technical officer Toh Thye Hwee, 39, said he chose a cheaper LCD monitor for a computer for his children.
'I have no choice. I have to buy one,' he said in Mandarin. 'My children need one to use, because they want to surf the Internet.' [email protected]
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Electronic stores report strong sales due to falling prices </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Serene Luo
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Customised casings for Dell laptops at the Comex show. Lower prices and a lifestyle attuned to technology are contributing to Singaporeans' steady demand for electronic goods despite the recent financial downturn. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->THERE is no end to the love affair Singaporeans have with gadgets, judging by the way they continue to spend their cash on cellphones, flat-screen television sets and notebook computers.
Electronic stores have reported strong sales, buoyed, they said, by falling prices which made items that much more attractive.
And at the recently concluded electronics show Comex, shoppers spent $56 million over four days, compared to $48 million last year.
LCD screens and cameras flew off the shelves at the Comex show, said Mr Melvin Koh, general manager of event organiser Eastern Directories.
Computer sales at electronics retailer Courts are up compared to the same period last year, said its country director James Friel.
At Best Denki, sales of flat-screen TVs are also strong, said its operations and marketing director C.J. Raj.
The electronics retailer recently started putting in corners for Apple products in its stores because 'we felt the IT industry was growing rapidly'.
One reason for the continued spending: the same gadget costs much less now compared to a few years ago. For instance, prices of flat-screen TVs have come down from about $6,000 for a 42-inch screen three years ago to $2,000 or less today.
Mr Alvin Lee, managing director of electronics store Audio House, said: 'When prices are very attractive, people will continue to buy the items even if they don't need them straightaway.'
Also, people would buy multiples of the same item, like a flat-screen TV, 'one each for their parents, and for the children', said Mr Koh.
Healthy crowds have also been seen at telco shops on weekends.
'It is still largely business as usual and we have not seen the problems in the financial markets making an impact yet,' said M1 spokesman Chua Swee-Kiat.
StarHub said that 'take-up of our suite of info-communications services and devices remained healthy', and reported a 'surge in uptake' for its Digital Voice Home service while SingTel said there was 'no noticeable change' in the number of patrons and number of transactions at its stores.
Worldwide, sales of computers are still going at full speed, said two big market research firms IDC and Gartner.
IDC on Monday reported that 20.2 million PCs were sold in the Asian-Pacific region in the third quarter, a 12 per cent jump over the same period last year.
The Consumer Electronics Association in the United States also expected spending on video games, cameras, music players and other gadgets to grow 3.5 per cent in the fourth quarter - though that is half the rate of the same period last year.
While they will not quit buying gadgets during the downturn, shoppers told The Straits Times they would search to get the best bang for their buck.
National serviceman Stephen Gong said he shopped around Sim Lim Square for the best price for a Halo 3 game for his recently purchased Xbox 360 game console.
The 19-year-old said he paid $49 for the game, instead of the recommended retail price of $74.90, a saving of about $25.
Technical officer Toh Thye Hwee, 39, said he chose a cheaper LCD monitor for a computer for his children.
'I have no choice. I have to buy one,' he said in Mandarin. 'My children need one to use, because they want to surf the Internet.' [email protected]
