Time to go gadget shopping
Customers are scooping up the best electronics deals before VAT comes into effect
Customers at Gitex Shopper 2017 are making the most of the electronics exhibition by scooping up the best deals on their favourite products before the value added tax (VAT) goes live next year.
Retail experts at the highly anticipated event noted the large numbers of customers arriving early in the morning, despite it being a weekday. Many agreed that visitor sentiment at present revolved around a ‘buy now, before the VAT’ approach.
“People expect the prices of electronic products to go up once the VAT rolls around, so they are definitely preponing many of their electronic purchases. We can definitely expect to see an impact of the VAT on sales this year,” says Priyam Agrawal, GM of Emax Electronics.
Speaking on the sidelines of the exhibition, he shared what Emax would be bringing to shoppers for this edition of the event. “Unfortunately, there aren’t any major launches from the various big brands this year, but we have a number of very exciting offers. For our premium customers, we have a ‘Spin-the-wheel’ promotion where they have a chance to win prizes such as new phones, TVs and laptops, on purchases of Dh5,000 or more. Similarly, we have a promotion for consumers who spend Dh3,000 and above. They can try their luck at the ‘Magic Box’ and win a number of prizes.”
Home appliance deals
Agrawal also revealed that Emax would have a number of home appliance deals. “Summer is approaching and people might want to change their ACs, so we have covered those segments as well.”
He further added that the most popular categories at Gitex have traditionally been laptops and mobiles. “This year as well, we know that laptops and mobiles will be a much sought-after category, but gaming is a segment that is slowly catching up, and we expect that segment to do very well this year. Virtual reality [VR] headsets have also proven to be a very popular item, to the point that there has been a reported
This year as well, we know that laptops and mobiles will be a much sought-after category Priyam Agrawal, GM of Emax Electronics
shortage in the market for them. We have secured a supply for our customers and will be offering them at our stand.”
There is a demand for smartphones, particularly the latest Samsung and iPhone models Mahesh Chotrani, assistant vice-president of Jacky’s Electronics
Asked if the recent acquisition of Souq.com by online giant Amazon would have an impact on traditional brick-and-mortar retailers in the UAE, Agrawal said that Emax wasn’t expecting a “price war”.
“Online e-commerce will definitely get a boost, but you have to remember that the UAE is a much more regulated market than the US. We are aggressively pushing into the online sphere since that is what consumers in the UAE are expecting of us,” he said.
Spike in sales before VAT
Mahesh Chotrani, assistant vicepresident of Jacky’s Electronics, said that electronic products sales would see a spike before the introduction of the VAT, but he expected that to happen in the last quarter of the year. However, he also pointed out that consumers would soon adapt to the change. “The VAT is a long-term initiative, so people will soon get used to any change in prices and shopping for electronic items will soon continue.”
Asked what were the most sought-after products at Gitex this year, Chotrani pointed to 2-in-1 notebooks in the convertibles segment, followed by gaming notebooks. He also pointed to an increasing demand for large HD and UHD smart TVs, especially those in the 55-inch and above home category.
“As always there is a demand for smartphones, particularly the latest Samsung and iPhone models, and lastly, we have the SLR cameras such as Canon and Nikon, which are also drawing large crowds this year.”