Retailers gear up for a frenzied weekend

Some sweeten deals to attract more buyers as Gitex moves into its final two days

Some retailers have already sweetened the deals on some models from yesterday afternoon as the crowd started getting bigger.

Retailers expect the next two days (today and tomorrow) to be the key for the Shopper.

Anirudh Aggarwal, a Dubai resident, said that he came to study the prices after office hours and will come today evening to buy a smartphone and a TV. “I have been buying at least a device from the Shopper for the last eight years. It is totally a different experience buying it here [Shopper] due to the availability of different brands under one roof,” he said.

When asked about the task of parking and buying a ticket to enter, he said that the mood inside the hall is totally different and entering the hall is something of a sensory overload.

Atul Joshi, head of distribution at Jumbo Electronics, said that smartphones and laptops are expected to do well. “We’re expecting shoppers to throng through the aisles to take advantage of the fantastic bundles and promotions which are sure to pay off,” he said.

Even though there will be a boost in smartphone sales, Nabila Popal, research manager at International Data Corporation (IDC) said that it would be interesting to note whether this would directly affect the volume share in total as retailers and distributors would avail this opportunity to clear old existing stocks.

Looking ahead, IDC expects 2018 to be a very tough year. As per IDC forecast, total handset market in the UAE would be around 1.2 million units in the third quarter, registering an 8.3 per cent quarter on quarter fall and an 11.2 per cent decline year-on-year.