What to expect at Dubai's Gitex Shopper 2018

Walking through the exhibition halls of Gitex Shopper, you'll be hard pressed not to part with your cash; even if you didn't plan on it. 
With salespeople jumping out at you from every direction, voices bellowing out from the speakers tempting you with "huge savings", "best prices", and all the other jargon that comes with discount marketing, this five-day retail haven still has high demand here in Dubai.
Though price points for products may not be hugely different to what you find in-store or online; the appeal of Gitex Shopper is the bundle offers. It's the event that gives residents more bang for their buck. 
From smartphones to laptops, and fitness watches to big screen TVs, consumers filled halls 4-6 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) on Tuesday, the first day of the event. 
Like a moth to a flame (the visitors being the moth and the discount signage being the flame), Khaleej Times spoke to a host of different consumers to find out why they turned out on the first day. 
With Dh4,000 in his pocket and a willingness to spend, Filipino expatriate Raymond Albert heard about the event from a Facebook live feed on Monday. 
"It was my day off work, I've been saving this money up for quite some time now, so I registered, paid Dh20 for a ticket and headed down. The discounts and freebies on offer is what brought me here. You buy one product and get five or six in return."
With the aim to buy a gaming laptop, he said he was planning to scope out the products first, before diving into a purchase. 
"I heard prices drop dramatically during the last few hours on the last day, so I'll probably wait to buy then. It's the smart approach."
British expat Matt Lees is a first-timer to Gitex Shopper. On the hunt for "PC stuff, with a specific focus on hardware" he said the ability to barter is what makes the shopping experience better here. 
"In terms of money savings, you're paying similar prices to the kind of sales that happen during Eid and Ramadan. But what I like is that you can haggle; you can't do that in a shop. You get more for your money too. It's not so much about saving, it's about getting lots in return for the price of one thing. 
And a retired visitor to Dubai, Ashok Chodia, said he was there to shop for his daughter. 
"I don't work anymore, my daughter does, so I'm here to scope out a good deal for her. She wants a TV and maybe a laptop so I'll see what bundle offers I can get her. It's good to have all the competition in one place so you can see who's giving the best deals." 
From Happy Hour deals during peak hours, to wacky bundle deals, including a TV and car bundle offer for Dh89,999 (saving you Dh55,000), visitors can also attend open sessions offering tips and tricks on how to get the most out of their existing, or newly purchased, products. 
kelly@khaleejtimes.com 
Tips and Tricks Corner - Hall 6
Wednesday, October 3
3pm-3.45pm - DSLR vs Point n Shoot + best tips on using SLR
5pm-5.45pm - Videography 101 (DSLRs)
6pm-6.45pm - Picking the right TV, Calibrating it, making your TV Smart
7pm-7.45pm - How to take great pictures from your phone camera (front and back)
Thursday, October 4
3pm-3.45pm - Gaming Console vs PC. How to build your gaming PC. What games to play
4pm-4.45pm - What to look for when buying a laptop
6pm-6.45pm - Five things to look for when, and after, buying a new phone
Who you can expect to find at Gitex Shopper
Who: The ultimate bargain hunter
Name: Ranzel Barretto, India 
"I'm born and bred Dubai and whenever Gitex Shopper is here, I come. I would definitely categorise myself as a bargain buyer. In the weeks leading up to this event, I research prices online and in-store for the product I have my eye on and I actually keep an excel sheet with all the shop, product and price details on it. That way I'm best prepared for bartering on the best deals at Gitex Shopper. Researching hard like that really does help me. I find it's not so much about saving money here though because product prices aren't much different than in the shops;  it's more about getting more bang for your buck. Last year I walked away with a phone and the bundle included a power back, Bluetooth headset, headphones, an extra charging lead...more than what a shop purchase would have got me. This year I want a better smartphone; the Samsung s9 Plus. I want a phone that will last me three to four years." 
 Who: The student
Name: Abdullah Khan, India
University: Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Dubai
"This is my first time at Gitex Shopper. I came for the low prices and bundle deals. I'm on the hunt for a gaming laptop. I've thought about getting one for a long time but talked myself out of it as I already had a laptop. But when I heard Gitex Shopper was coming to Dubai again I decided to wait and save up some more money so I could finally buy something. My budget is Dh5,000-Dh6,000; Dh4,000 of which I saved over two years. When it comes to bundle deals, I'll be looking for something with antivirus software included. It's a must nowadays. I'm studying mechanical engineering at university and I'm a graphic designer and 3D designer in my spare time, so it's good to have the most up to date tech at my fingertips." 
Who: The first-timer 
Name: Paul Hunt, UK 
"This is my first time here and I've come to buy. I've been looking for a TV for a while now and I ended up doing some research before coming today, just so I could get an idea of prices so I'd been in a good position to barter. And...so far so good. I managed to bring down the price of one TV already. The stand next door offered me a better deal, so I went back to the first salesman and got him to bring down the price from Dh3,000 to Dh2,600. I'm aiming for Dh2,500 though. I may be a first-timer but I'm not shy when it comes to haggling on price. It's a good event, especially if you're looking for something specific, but I can imagine it being a place where you end up spending money you didn't really plan on spending because the bundle deals are enticing." 
Who: The fitness tech fanatic 
Name: Aindrea Sewell, US
"I heard about Gitex Shopper from friends and I've come here for one thing; a fitness watch. I've been looking for it for ages and it's been on the market for about 18 months now but I've been biding my time waiting for it to go down in price. Then when I realised this event was coming to Dubai, I took it as a sign to finally buy the thing. I do a lot of cross fit and I do competitive swimming too. I love tracking my progress on a gadget watch and it helps me improve my performance too. The watch is only about Dh550 in shops, so it's not mega expensive and today I'd be happy to spend Dh400 on it. I know people say the last few days give the best bargains but I'm not coming back. I'm here for one day only so I'll be buying today, no questions asked."
 

Kelly Clarke

kelly@khaleejtimes.com