Demand for gadgets up due to WFH trend:
PETALING JAYA: While many businesses are facing a slowdown, computer and gadgets shops are seeing brisk sales with higher demand due to the work-fromhome (WFH) arrangement.
Muhammad Fida’uddin said demand for gadgets and accessories at his store in Plaza Low Yat had gone up.
“It’s not only from those who are working. Students who need to study online are also buying more gadgets of late,” the IT store owner said.
“Usually they will buy new laptops, desktop computers or iPads.
“Others came to upgrade the hardware and softwares for their existing devices,” said the 27-yearold.
All IT Hypermarket Sdn Bhd said during the movement control order (MCO) period, sales increased tremendously.
“When the MCO first started in March, sales for devices such as notebooks and printers were very good.
“But during the present conditional MCO, business was a bit slow as many had already made their purchases earlier,” said its marketing manager Alicia Chui.
She said another reason was that many people must service their loans after the end of the moratorium, which affected their purchasing power.
But she said their e-commerce and online site showed an increase in demand following the conditional MCO in the Klang Valley.
“For some models and devices, we are facing a shortage of stock,” she said.
“We will have to adapt to the market’s needs in order to survive the challenging times,” she said, citing outdoor gadgets such as action cameras and drones were badly affected.
Chui said sales for gaming products also saw an increase.
“Gadgets like gaming PC, consoles and accessories are high in demand. People also invested in health gadgets such as fitness trackers and smart watches too,” she said.
A project manager of a media company in Ampang, Nurul Ain, said she made the decision to buy extra webcams for her company to use during the WFH period.
“I believe that extra gadgets like webcams are necessary to handle conference calls and meetings with clients,” said the 27-year-old.
But she said WFH was also challenging with problems such as poor Internet connection and limited gadgets.
“We have prepared ourselves for this kind of situation,” she said.
Sharifah Nur Atiqah Izzati said she bought a cooling fan for her laptop to WFH.
“Once the announcement was made, my company immediately ordered us to WFH.
“My laptop tends to overheat quite easily, so I need to be prepared ahead,” she said.
The 22-year-old said she supported the decision to WFH due to the rising cases of Covid-19.