Australians are increasingly embracing a sophisticated digital lifestyle, with more than a quarter of consumers now reporting that they use smartphones for online shopping.
The reduced prices of products in the local market have also aided a surge in demand for new technology, with consumers spending $2.8 billion on 6.56 million digital devices in the first half of the year, according to research released today by Canon’s Consumer Digital Lifestyle Index (Canon CDLI) in partnership with GfK Retail and Technology.
“The strong volume numbers show that for consumer technology Australian retail is alive and well and consumers are taking advantage of the competitive pricing, deals and support to be found in their local stores,” Canon Consumer Imaging director Jason McLean said.
“We expect the Australian market to continue to adjust as strong local competition and global forces play out heading into Christmas.”
Consumers spent big on upgrading their digital devices, with newer devices accounting for 44 percent of camera purchases, 40 percent of TV purchases, and 39 percent of PCs. Digital SLR cameras and personal video recorders also fared well with a significant jump in volume, in response to consumer demand.
Furthermore, tech-savvy consumers are changing the face of the retail marketplace. 29 percent of consumers used their smartphone for online shopping in the last month, and 57 percent used their computers for online shopping. Two-fifths of smartphone users also regularly connect to a WiFi network and an increasing number of TVs (20 percent) are being hooked up to WiFi too, up from 12 percent last year.
“The shopper is changing, with more people knowing what they want from their technology and looking to a range of sources for help to get the best outcome, so it’s an opportunity for the industry to cater effectively to this need,” said McLean.
“Consumers are clearly after seamless connectivity among their various digital devices and the next upgrade cycle will come as consumers see more opportunities to embed technology into their day-to-day lifestyle through features such as Wi-Fi, 3G wireless and direct connection to internet-based “cloud” applications.”
