The total year-to-date (YTD) 2010 Asia 9* market panels generally continue to experience positive growth across the board in terms of value and volume during October. However, the Telco market registered slight price erosion of -1.3% this month when compared to last year. October saw Major Domestic Appliances (MDA) register the greatest growth (+22.9%) in sales value, closely followed by Photo (+21%) and Consumer Electronics CE (+20.8%). In terms of sales units, Telecom displayed the highest growth rising by 19.8%, just ahead of MDA which grew 19.3%.
Consumer Electronics
The Consumer Electronics (CE) category continued to show healthy growth, as sales value outpaced sales volume, signifying increased consumer spending on CE products. As the major product in the CE category, LCD-TV continued to grow across all Asian markets. YTD 2010, LCD-TV increased its share in the CE category and accounted for 62% in sales value, with the highest spending coming from Taiwan and South Korea, at over 70%. In contrast, the proportion of LCD-TV sales remained below 50% in Indonesia and the Philippines, presenting opportunities for further growth.
Photo
Strong value growth was registered for Digital Cameras across most countries, with the exception of the Philippines, where high price erosion continued to persist. Having registered negative growth in the first half of 2010, the Digital Camera category in Thailand is showing a steady recovery to reach positive growth in both volume and value.
Major Domestic Appliances
The MDA sector enjoyed value growth of 24%, mainly contributed to by Indonesia and the Philippines. Growth was driven heavily by air conditioners due to an intensely warm summer. At 18% Cooling displayed good growth (+18%) with the Philippines leading the way. Across markets there is a shift in consumer preference towards the higher-end and more niche segments.
Small Domestic Appliances
Small Domestic Appliances (SDA) exhibited value growth of 23%, with Singapore and Vietnam at the forefront. Vacuum Cleaners drove expansion across the seven Asian countries measured as consumers increasingly trade up to higher end models and brands. With value growth of 18%, Food Preparation also displayed a strong performance with South Korea in particular witnessing an explosion in demand for Food Processors.
Telecommunication
Telecommunication products continue to command the bulk of consumer spending, accounting for close to 40% of sales across all GfK audited technical goods. Indonesia and South Korea represent more than 40% of telecommunications spending in the nine markets tracked by GfK in Asia, while Malaysia is gaining increasing prominence in this segment, accounting for 10.4% of the sector in YTD 2010.
In September 2010, Smartphones sales in value terms exceeded that of normal mobile phones and in the latest month (October 2010), occupies close to a 53% share of all mobile and Smartphone sales. By the end of 2010, Singapore and South Korea are expected to join Hong Kong and Malaysia as the Asia 9 markets where Smartphones represent over 50% of mobile sales.
Information Technology
Sales of multifunctional devices have grown across the region, registering 6.3% in sales units and 16.2% in sales value, whereas single-function printer s shrunk by -3% compared to last year. Printers with WiFi capabilities have also grown in sales by 35%, year-on-year. Without the cumbersome wires of normal printers, printers with WiFi capabilities are ideal for homes or offices which serve multiple laptop or PC users, especially with prices falling significantly. Such printers allow the freedom of printing from any location within the Wi-Fi network.
Article via GFK
