'TIS the season to be jolly - especially if you are a consumer electronics retailer.
With many Singaporeans receiving pay increments earlier in the year and substantial bonus packages, it seems as if more high-end consumer products will be found tucked under Christmas trees this year.
Large-screen liquid crystal display (LCD) TV sets and notebook PCs seem to be high on the list.
Electronics chain Best Denki, for example, reported a 'double digit' growth in LCD TV sales this holiday season.
The most sought-after screen size is between 37 and 42 inches.
Samsung, for one, expect sales of its LCD TV sets to increase by 'more than 30per cent' during this festive season.
Singaporeans, on average, are forking out anything between $4,000 and $6,000 for these goggle boxes.
This is a large boom in consumer spending compared with last year's Christmas gadget of choice, the Apple iPod music player, which retails at about $400.
Best Denki believes that the attractive designs of the latest generation of LCD TVs have propelled the surge in demand.
Said MrC.J.Raj, director of marketing, operations and merchandising at Best Denki: 'Flat-panel designs not only take up less space, but also act as a decorative piece on the wall.'
Similarly, Courts said it has witnessed a 'significant' growth in the sales of LCD TVs.
Mr Marcus Chipchase, country director of Courts Singapore, said that sales had peaked since October and the company was enjoying double-digit growth in sales revenue as consumer spending picked up this festive season.
Smaller retail outlets like Audio House have also witnessed a similar rise in demand for LCD sets, with its sales increasing by about 30per cent during this festive period.
Notebook PCs are also a popular gift this year.
Laptop sales have surged by 'double digits' in both Best Denki and Courts, with the retail chains noting that the demand was fuelled by the recent implementation of Wi-Fi connectivity across the island.
Popular brands this festive period include the Sony Vaio, Acer and Hewlett Packard. Consumers on average spend between $2,000 and $4,000 on these devices.
According to Best Denki, smaller laptops like the Asus Eee PC are influential in the market, but sales have not been comparable to that of the other laptops.
Although the retail chain is witnessing a 'slight dip' in the sales of MP3 players, Courts and Harvey Norman report increased demand.
According to a Harvey Norman spokesman, audio players remain its top-seller, with sales of these devices increasing 'two-fold'.
The iPod touch and the iPod nano are the main objects of desire.
Miss Germaine Liew, a 29-year-old entrepreneur who bought an iPod nano for her boyfriend, said: 'An iPod is a great gift as it is very sought-after now.'
