Demand for digital gadgets holding up, says Canon

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 25 October 2011 13:01

Your IT - Home IT

Australia's love affair with digital technology isn't fading, despite our reportedly reduced appetite for spending.

Canon's pointing to "market competition" as a driver for price reductions that have seen Australian consumer technology revenues to drop while volume remains strong, but presumably the relatively strong dollar (currently worth $US1.04) has something to do with it.

Commenting on the latest Canon Consumer Lifestyle Index, Canon Australia's consumer imaging director Jason McLean said "The latest results show that, despite reportedly low consumer sentiment for the period, strong consumer demand for technology saw volume sales keep pace with the record numbers achieved in first-half 2009 when a raft of stimulus funds hit the market.

"Market competition has seen a $470 million decline in sales value, saving the Australian consumer an average of $72 per device during the first six months of the year." The report shows that average selling prices fell in all of the product categories covered by the report.

So what are we buying in increasing volumes? PVR sales numbers are up a whopping 53% (off an admittedly small base) as more and more people realise the advantages these devices have over older types of recording technology, and as the digital switchover progresses.

Digital SLR camera sales volumes have increased by 18%, suggesting a growing number of Australians are after something better than a compact camera. A desire for better quality was found to be the main reason for purchasing a new camera (whether buyers achieve better results is open question), with digital cameras already found in more than 80% of homes. Overall, digital camera sales volumes slipped by 1% year-on-year.

What else is down? And what's up? Find out on page 2.