Gitex concludes on high note

Visitors checking best deals at Gitex Shopper at the Dubai World Trade Centre on Saturday as it concludes with overwhelming response.

Gitex Shopper 2016 concluded on Saturday on a high note, with retailers noting that the weekend rush had helped them boost their sales.
Many retailers had said on Thursday that they were delighted with the footfall during the opening day of the exhibition, but expected sales to skyrocket during the busier weekend days. Several of the local retailers were also confident of a 10-15 per cent increase in sales over last year's event, with smartphones, laptops, and tablets driving the bulk of sales.
"The weekend has always been the best time for us as many of the shoppers have finished browsing and debating on the deals and are ready to start making their purchases," said Mahesh Chotrani, assistant vice-president of Jacky's Electronics. He also revealed that shoppers were increasingly interested in purchasing smart wearables and health devices, in light of the growing need for a healthier lifestyle in the region. With over 35,000 tech consumer choices under one roof, Gitex Shopper Spring attracted global high tech brands, including Samsung, Lenovo, Xbox, Hisense and Huawei and regional heavyweight retailers - Jacky's Electronics, Jumbo, E-Max Electronics, Plug Ins and Sharaf DG, to name a few. A number of new experience zones introduced this year included the 'Xbox Gaming Zone' and 'This Hot! That's Cool!', offering visitors the opportunity to test and experience the latest technologies, new launches and gadgets.
Neelesh Bhatnagar, chief executive officer of Emax Electronics, revealed that visitor interest in laptops and HD TVs was surprisingly strong on the first day of the exhibition, and that Apple and Samsung were unsurprisingly leading the way in the smartphone segment.
Many of the retailers at the exhibition also revealed that they were pleasantly surprised at the interest in virtual reality (VR) devices. While Samsung was undoubtedly the most popular stand at the event with its Samsung Gear VR on display, Vsun Mobile also took the opportunity to showcase its VR-equipped smartphones.
Swithin D'Silva, vice-president of Vsun, said: "The virtual reality trend is already upon us. In the GCC region, we can see huge adoption rates. Today it's a buzzword for the consumer and they are clearly excited by the potential of the technology. During this Gitex Shopper, we were amazed to see the knowledge displayed by the consumer on the VR technology. We are in the process of setting up VR Experience Zones across the region wherein consumers can actually expereince the Vsun smartphones with VR and of course the content thrown in."
"When it comes to virtual reality the consumer is looking for a universal device which he can use on his multiple smart phones. There is tremendous excitement about watching movies, videos and playing games. Consumers are blown away by the novelty and the immersive experience on a Vsun VR headset powered by our smartphones."
- rohma@khaleejtimes.com