(MENAFN - Khaleej Times) Smartphones are the favoured consumer electronic products for use in business and leisure, as its functionality and - more importantly - convenience are emerging as key factors, a CNN survey revealed.
This is very much the case in the UAE, where the smartphone market has gained ground as more and more consumers look to this gadget to stay connected at the palm of their hands.
At Gitex Shopper 2012, it has been observed that smartphones sales continue to be strong, as in recent editions of the event, according to two industry officials who spoke to Khaleej Times.
"Smartphones have been selling extremely well; a lot of people have been looking for them," Emax chief executive officer Neelesh Bhatnagar said.
He noted that, with the vast array of choices, consumers are now more "picky" in buying products. "We have extremely smart customers... they are making the proper comparison and they know what they are buying," Bhatnagar said.
Jacky's chief operating officer Ashish Panjabi also ranked smartphones among the top-sellers at Gitex Shopper.
"Smartphones, especially the new models, have been doing very well," he said, even pointing out Samsung, HTC and Nokia are among the brands being well-sought.
Laptops, tablets in demand
Panjabi said that "a lot of people are still looking for laptops and tablets", alluding to the fact that consumers still want the best and most convenient product for them.
The CNN study showed that smartphones were also favoured over music players, e-readers, digital cameras and game consoles, apparently now becoming an all-in-one product.
In the boardroom, executives are more likely to be tapping away at their smartphones (61 per cent) than they are on more traditional business consumer electronic products such as laptops (60 per cent) and tablets (43 per cent).
Smartphones also outrank other consumer electronics in the race for grabbing consumer's attention in the living room, with 60 per cent of consumers saying they use their smartphone while they are watching TV versus laptops/notebooks (41 per cent) and tablets (38 per cent).
When it comes to leisure and holidays, the smartphone (63 per cent) is the only consumer electronic to eclipse the popularity of the digital camera (48 per cent) and the portable music player (46 per cent). In fact, the poolside is the No.1 location respondents tend to engage with their smartphone, confirming the device is of equal appeal for business and leisure situations.
"This survey shows the undeniable versatility of the smartphone, used almost ubiquitously in any given situation; even in locations like the lounge room where entertainment screens compete simultaneously for eyeballs," said Didier Mormesse senior vice-president for research at CNN International.
"These results have interesting implications for any brand competing for consumer attention on electronic devices at a time when multi-tasking has clearly become commonplace in situations as disparate as the boardroom and the beach."
The survey also revealed that connectivity is now so commonplace that the risk of disconnection anxiety is high, with half of the respondents (49 per cent) agreeing that they "feel uncomfortable if I am ever out of broadband/wifi/3G reach." Meanwhile, one-third (34 per cent) are perfectly happy to be off-the-Net, claiming that "I cherish the times when I'm out of broadband/wifi/3G reach and can't be disturbed by calls or e-mail."
