Gadget purchases set retailers' cash registers ringing at Gitex

dubai - Smartphones and laptops are still the most sought-after items

Visitors at the Gitex Shopper Spring 2017 exhibition said they have always waited for the event to roll around before deciding on what electronics they want to buy or upgrade.

Many noted that they always show up at the exhibition with a clear idea of what their next purchase is going to be while and several said they wait months for the event as it provides them with the best deals that are to be found.

Electronic retailers revealed that the wait by shoppers for the event always means a comfortable amount of sales for them. Speaking on the main trends in the market as of this moment, many retailers at the event noted that several gadgets had emerged as a clear favourite among shoppers at the exhibition.

Priyam Agrawal, GM of EMax Electronics, said that smartphones and laptops were almost always the most sought-after items, as shoppers are always interested in acquiring an upgraded or newer version of a product that they already had. Many would put off buying an item as soon as it launched, in favour of waiting for the Gitex Shopper events to come around.

"We have been seeing a huge interest in our smartphones category," he said. "Shoppers in the UAE are very tech-savvy and brand conscious. Many who come to us for a new smartphone almost always have an older model. They simply want an upgrade on the camera and other features."

In addition to smartphones, offers and deals on laptops have been a big draw at the event. One segment that has been a standout at the exhibition is the 2-in-1 convertible laptops. Mahesh Chotrani, assistant vice-president of Jacky's Electronics, said the interest in such laptops has grown significantly over the past few months. The newer, slimmer models in the market are easier to carry and easily double as both a home and work computer.

Charlene Pinto, a shopper at the event who had arrived with her husband and son, said she was interested in buying a laptop for herself. Asked what brands she was looking at for her purchase, she listed Acer, Dell and Lenovo. "My husband knows all about the specifications for the different models, so I will leave that decision to him," she said.

Similarly, Waqas Fahim, a shopper from Abu Dhabi who was in town for the weekend, said he was looking to buy a laptop to replace the older version that he has. "My current Lenovo is not going to last much longer, so I decided to see if there are any deals here that will suit me. My friends are all gamers, so I will need a good laptop that can run some online games smoothly so that I can join them," he said.

Asked what brands he was looking at, Fahim said he had his eyes on buying another Lenovo since his old one served him very well over the years that he had it.

- rohma@khaleejtimes.com