Malaysian consumers are replacing their old-fashioned CRT televisions with flat panel TVs. From January to August this year, 823,000 sets of TV worth over USD440 million were sold in the country, according to GfK’s retail audit report.
The research firm said the latest inclination among Malaysian consumers is to buy bigger sized and more technologically advanced TV sets such as those which are equipped with Internet-connectivity or 3D function, the main reason for the slight increment in average TV price from USD527 last year to USD530 this year.
GfK findings also revealed that the USD171 million generated from sales of TVs with screen size measuring 46 inches and above contributed to 39 percent of total TV sales—reflecting a surge of 32 percent compared to last year.
Average price of this segment declined from last year’s USD1,335 to USD1,200 this year as competition intensifies along with the expansion in repertoire of available models from 234 to 288.
“While the price of smaller screen sized TVs (32 inch and below) has more or less remained unchanged, cost of those bigger screen TVs has been declining considerably,” said Chin. “At the same time, these models are also enhanced with Internet connectivity and 3D technology, making them even more appealing to buyers.”