Tablet sales in Vietnam surged by 233% in first half: GfK

• Average price dropped by 25% within six months; consumers spent total of US$94mil on tablets
• 294,000 units sold in last 12 months, including 206,000 in the last six months alone

THE tablet craze that is currently taking the world by storm has also infected the less-developed country of Vietnam, where demand has been consecutively trending up at a considerable pace in the last four quarters to reach a total of 294,000 units sold in the last 12 months, said market research firm GfK.
 
In the first six months of this year alone, over 206,000 tablets flew off the shelves, an extensive 233% surge compared with the same period a year ago, GfK said in a statement.
 
In terms of value, the overall worth of the local tablet market has expanded by 160% during this same period, translating to consumers having spent a total of US$94 million on tablet purchases in the last six months. 
 
“Although the market in Vietnam is relatively smaller and less technologically advanced when compared with other countries in South-East Asia, tablets have already started appealing to the masses, with sales picking up and growing at a rapid pace,” said Van Tran Khoa, managing director of GfK Vietnam.
 
“The rising prevalence of this device is largely being driven by the recent lowering of prices, which makes it more and more affordable,” he added.
 
GfK’s retail audit tracking reveals an apparent steady downtrend in the average price of tablets since the beginning of 2012. While the highest point of US$512 was reported in December 2012, the average selling price of tablets has subsequently dropped 25% in the latest June 2013 report to hover around US$385.
 
Similar to trends elsewhere around the region, consumers are exhibiting their preference for tablets running on the Android operating system. Sales volume of Android tablets made up 59% of total tablets sold in the country last year, and expanded to take up 64% of the pie this year.
 
GfK findings revealed intensifying competition within the marketplace as more brands enter and become widely accepted by consumers. For instance, while a high proportion of sales in the first half of 2012 came from fewer than 10 main brands, Vietnamese consumers this year were buying mainly from around 16 key tablet manufacturers.
 
“As one of the least developed markets in South-East Asia, we anticipate the tablet market in Vietnam to continue its brisk uptrend, with take-up rate mirroring that of our developed counterparts around the region in time to come,” said Van.
 
“It will be increasingly competitive and no doubt, interesting to see how the competition plays out as the adoption continues to surge and the marketplace continues to develop,” he added.
 
Related Stories:
 
In SEA, laptops and tablets see uptrend in sales: GfK
 
SEA device market grows 12% in value and 26% in volume
 
Special Report: Telco cloud strategies in Asean
 
 
For more technology news and the latest updates, follow @dnewsasia on Twitter or Like us on Facebook.