Saturday, Oct 03, 2015

Dubai: Sales of tablets in the UAE are expected to jump in October after being down this year, retailers at Gitex Shopper 2015 say.

Tablet sales growth has declined for a number of reasons, including the device’s long replacement cycle and increasing demand for smartphones with bigger screen sizes, according to the retailers.

“Mobiles are becoming bigger in size. People are using more mobiles, plus the replacement cycle of tablets is slower. You can change your mobile in six months, whereas you can have a tablet for one or two years,” said Hayssam Yassine, head of the IM division for the Gulf at tech giant Samsung.

This year, global shipments of smartphones are forecast to increase by 14 per cent, while tablet shipments are expected to fall 13 per cent to 192 million units compared to 2014, according to global advisory firm Gartner.

Tablets currently have a 17 per cent share in the global connected devices market, but it is forecast to decline to 14 per cent in five years’ time, said Atef Ebrahim, president at ViewSonic, citing data from research firm IDC.

Yassine said that Samsung’s tablet sales in the country have been “positive” this year, but the growth rate is lower compared to previous years.

“We are in line with the global trend, so the growth is there, but it is minimal,” he added.

However, retailers expect bundle offers and deals at consumer electronics exhibition Gitex to boost sales of the device.

Innovations

Yassine anticipates a 40-50 per cent growth in Samsung’s tablet sales this month compared to September.

For Chinese manufacturer Lenovo, sales of tablets are likely to be “at least double” this month compared to September, said Mohammed Hilili, its general manager for the Gulf.

Lenovo aims to boost sales of tablets through the addition of “innovations that cannot be found in smartphones”.

Citing an example, he said that Lenovo’s Yoga Tab 3 Pro features a projector.

Retailers said that tablet sales are likely to continue rise significantly until January, with the first and fourth quarter traditionally being strong sales months for consumer electronics retailers.

“Usually after Gitex, there will be a big boom, then things relax a bit in November. In December and January, it will pick up again, since people buy [gadgets] as gifts,” Yassin said.

Halili expects Lenovo’s tablet sales this quarter to grow by 20-25 per cent over the previous quarter.

Similarly, Ebrahim said sales of the device in the country are likely to be up by at least 15 to 20 per cent in the current quarter compared to the third quarter.

By Sarah Algethami Staff Reporter

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