Changing consumer trends drive Philips sales gains

They are part of a growing consumer trend in the region toward the purchase of ever-evolving technology and the latest products on the market.

For example, during the first two months of the year, which included the very successful Dubai Shopping Festival, Philips saw a huge 200% increase in the number of its Plasma and projection televisions sold, compared with the same period last year.

"At Philips we are beginning to see a shift in consumer purchasing habits. This is driven by several factors, including lower prices on these high end items and continual innovations by Philips designers that enhance the consumer experience with new products that improve lives," said Olivier Delahaye, regional general manager, Consumer Electronics, Philips Electronics Middle East and Africa.

"As technology advances at a rapid pace, the state of the art Plasma TVs and large projection TVs are becoming a must have in many homes. The award winning high definition Plasma TVs, enhanced by Digital Natural Motion technology, offer consumers excellent picture quality and a design that fits perfectly with the look of the modern home," he added.

"Philips digital projection TVs take viewing to a new level, and the very latest 55-inch widescreen 100-Hertz TV was one of the best sellers during the Dubai Shopping Festival," continued Delahaye.

In addition to the sharp increase in TV sales, DVD-recorder sales soared 600% during the 2003 Dubai Shopping Festival compared with figures from last year's festival, while DVD players enjoyed a 50% growth over last year's DSF sales numbers.

The new Philips DVDR 890 has been a huge hit with consumers. The machine offers the unique feature that its recordings are compatible with almost all DVD players in the market. Philips DVD players also are popular with consumers, having captured nearly 25% of the branded DVD player market. It's no wonder as these players offer consumers advanced features such as CDR, CDRW and MP3 playback, as well as the ability to display jpeg photographs saved on CDs.

"We at Philips have had a very positive start to 2003. Overall sales during this year's Dubai Shopping Festival grew a very strong 35% over last year. We expect to build on this good beginning with a series of new innovative products set for launch throughout 2003," concluded Delahaye.