In spite of recent technological advancements in mobile devices and consumer trends shifting toward the latest portable products, sales of laptop computers managed to hit nearly 4.9 million units in Southeast Asia’s six key markets in the first three quarters of this year.
Across the region’s tracked markets of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, Indonesia is the largest market, contributing over a third, or 35 percent, of overall laptop sales and 28 percent of sales value, according to a press statement from research firm GfK.
Malaysia is the second biggest market, accounting for 21 and 22 percent, respectively, of the region’s total volume and sales value.
“The growing focus towards convenience and portability in recent years has shifted consumer preference towards buying mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, inevitably impacting the demand of the overall laptop market,“ said Gerard Tan, Account Director for Digital World at GfK Asia.
“At the same time, Thailand’s lackluster sales due to the political unrest which took place earlier in this year had some bearing on the sector’s performance in the region.“
Although trending down in general, the latest GfK retail findings revealed that laptops with larger screens had been gaining ground. While all other sizes performed worse than in the previous year, the 15-inch and 17-inch and above sized segments exhibited strong growth of 61 and 49 percent, respectively.
The total market share of the slightly smaller 15-inch category expanded by 8 percent to account for 18 percent of the region’s overall sales—making up nearly 1 in every 5 laptops sold.
“With the portability criteria already fulfilled by smartphones and tablets, it makes sense for consumers who are still seeking smart connected devices to acquire a device with a larger screen,“ explained Tan.
“Besides, consumers are increasingly using computers for consumption of digital content these days and bigger screens make for better viewing experiences.“ (ren/nvn)
