According to the latest Canon Digital Lifestyle Index (CDLI), during the second half of last year alone, Australians splurged $2.89 billion on digital technology resulting in the highest half year result since the CDLI commenced in 2003.
The CDLI is based on independent research commissioned by Canon and delivered by GfK Marketing Services using information on sales figures (units and dollar value) provided by GfK’s retail audit panel.
According to the research, more consumers are buying electronics they couldn’t previously afford – compared to the 2nd half of 2006 the total value of digital device sales grew by 17.4 per cent in the 2nd half of 2007 despite the average selling price falling for every category except gaming consoles and inkjet & photo printers. For example the latest CDLI report reveals digital still cameras experienced similar total revenues and higher unit sales despite a fairly substantial reduction in average price.
Furthermore, these results are pushing predictions that Australians will spend over $6 billion on digital product this year.
The report revealed that digital camcorders and digital still cameras topped Christmas lists last year. These categories enjoyed their highest ever quarterly unit sales. Christmas sales also saw an increase in the purchasing of games consoles and digital media players which doubled from Q3 2007 to Q4 2007.
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Once again, flat panel televisions contributed to the majority of sales in 2007. Flat panel TVs accounted for nearly half (47 per cent) of all spending on CDLI product categories. LCD TVs continue to generate more sales than their Plasma counterparts, amounting to 29 per cent of total CDLI sales compared to a still-impressive 18 per cent for Plasmas.
