Consumers in Singapore bought over 4.6mil connected devices in 2014: GfK

  • 20 wireless and connected electronic/ digital products tracked by GfK
  • Sales jumped from US$950mil in 2010 to US$1.8bil in 2014, peaked in 2013
Consumers in Singapore bought over 4.6mil connected devices in 2014: GfK

SINGAPORE’S affluent population and well-developed Internet infrastructure have been playing a major role in driving consumers’ appetite for connected gadgets, according to market research firm GfK.
 
While the connected devices sector in Singapore was valued at only US$950 million five years ago (in 2010), it has today expanded substantially, with sales reaching over US$1.8 billion in revenue in 2014, GfK said in a statement.
 
Connected devices comprise of 20 wireless and connected electronic/ digital products tracked by GfK in Singapore, including computers, Internet TVs, smart cameras, PC accessories, headphones, headsets, routers and also the latest gadgets – smartwatches and health fitness trackers.
 
“In line with the country’s high Internet usage and technology adoption rate, wireless devices with Internet connectivity have been growing every year from 2010 to 2013, registering an additional 3.1 million devices sold within this four-year span,” said Gerard Tan, account director for Digital World at GfK.
 
“On the other hand, our sophisticated society is less interested in non-connected devices, with GfK reports revealing steep falling demand year after year since 2012,” he added.
 
Sales reached a peak in 2013 with consumers splurging more than US$2.1 billion on over 5.2 million connected devices, following which market saturation led to a slowdown in the 2014.
 
By comparison, non-connected, wired devices within the same product categories witnessed an even steeper decline of 29% in value, considerably higher compared with the 15% fall registered in the connected segment.
 
In spite of the overall decrease in consumer demand, some connected gadgets continued to register growth in 2014, including smartwatches, health fitness trackers, phablets, wireless printing devices, smart cameras, and loudspeaker soundbars.
 
The top three fastest growing connected devices in Singapore last year were docking/ mini-speakers, phablets and loudspeakers/ soundbars at 162%, 60% and 55% increased sales respectively over 2014.
 
Manufacturers are launching more new models of connected devices in spite of the general slowing down of the market. According to GfK findings, the number of market offerings across all products rose by 15% to hit 4,920 – a strong indication of the positive market sentiment going forward.
 
“The soaring popularity of this market means we can anticipate more of such products being launched, and the introduction of more new and exciting features – for instance, the function of easy syncing across different products,” said Tan.
 
“With today’s heavy reliance on the Internet, it becomes even more essential for modern technology to be equipped with the connectivity feature,” he added.
 
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