The Middle East's considerable and fast-growing appetite for consumer electronics has led the organizers of GITEX Shopper 2014 - the Middle East's largest consumer IT and electronics show - to expect another bumper sales performance at this year's event.
Strong sales of tablets, smartphones and Digital SLR cameras - traditional GITEX Shopper favorites - have positioned the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) alongside China and South America among the territorial contenders to overtake North America as the world's dominant consumer technology market, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.
Mobile phone penetration remains strong across the Middle East and currently stands at 109 percent, some 19 percent higher than the global average and comfortably ahead of the US (103 percent) and Asia Pacific (100 percent). Conversely, regional smartphone adoption has catalyzed widespread amateur photography among consumers which has subsequently boosted sales of DSLR cameras. Nikon, the official GITEX Shopper Photography Partner, will utilize the show to promote its current line of DSLRs - including the D5300, the Japanese company's first entry-level DX-format digital SLR camera - which incorporates Wi-Fi and GPS functions within the camera itself. Additional digital platforms per household - tablets, UHD TVs and laptops in particular - are also strong contributors to continued market growth in the region.
The eight-day sales extravaganza bringing together the region's power retailers and the world's biggest electronic brands, runs from Sept. 27 to Oct. 4 at Dubai World Trade Centre ( DWTC ), and is expected to attract more than 210,000 visitors.
"With the UAE's consumer electronics market forecast to reach AED16 billion by next year, GITEX Shopper has remains a critical platform for the region's consumer electronics industry. Every year our exhibitors become even more competitive in their offers, making sure new products are launched at show and planning deals, promotions and competitions to excite consumers and attract hundreds of thousands of visitors," said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Dubai World Trade Centre ( DWTC ). "GITEX Shopper is the most anticipated retail event of the year and one that makes a sizeable contribution to our exhibitors' annual revenues."
More than 100 leading consumer IT and electronics brands will be represented at GITEX Shopper this year, with more than 35,000 products on show. Global players include Bose, Dell, Hewlett, Huawei, Lenovo, Nestle, Samsung, Seagate and Toshiba. A host of regional power retailers including Al Falak Electronics, E-City, Jacky's, Jumbo, Max, Mega, Plug Ins and Sharaf DG will also be running exclusive show promotions.
Ashraf Fawakherji, Vice President of Huawei Device Middle East, said: "Huawei has been a loyal supporter of GITEX Shopper for a number of years and we continue to recognizse its influence as the most high profile consumer electronics show in the Middle East and Africa. This year has been an exciting year for the consumer electronics industry, especially for Huawei as we brought our flagship Ascend P7 Smartphone to our consumers in the GCC. We promise shoppers exciting offers and deals on our products particularly on the Ascend P7."
Consumer electronics giant Lenovo will be building on the ongoing success the brand has enjoyed at previous editions of GITEX Shopper, as confirmed by Mohammed Hilili, General Manager of Lenovo Gulf & KSA: "Lenovo will once again give visitors the ultimate multimode experience with exceptional offers on PCs, tablets and smartphones. We are confident that this year's show will exceed everyone's expectations."
Power retailer Emax Electronics will celebrate its ninth consecutive showing at GITEX Shopper 2014 with an extensive portfolio of products. "GITEX Shopper gives us a great opportunity to showcase the latest technologies combined with our expertise and award winning service,' said Neelesh Bhatnagar, the company's CEO. "We'll have exciting offers on the latest smartphones, tablets, laptops, gaming, TVs and cameras from leading brands."
Jacky's Electronics, will continue to enjoy significant presence at the show, added Ashish Panjabi, the company's COO: "Shoppers can look forward to some great offers by Jacky's - we'll be bringing the latest laptops, celebrating new launches in the smartphones segment and offering big discounts on UHD TVs. We're expecting a busy show and double-digit growth in most segments this year."
