RIYADH, 1 September 2004 — A surge in demand for digital technology by Saudi youths has overtaken sales in the corporate sector.
“Consumer sales for digital products in the Kingdom have outstripped those of the corporate sector as the youth continue to demand the most innovative and interactive technology available,” the Managing Director of BENQ for Middle East and Africa, Robert Dung, told a press conference here.
Young consumers in the Kingdom have embraced digital technology and are demanding up-to-date products to complement their lives, he added.
BENQ is an industry leader in networking lifestyle devices with an expertise that encompasses display, storage, imaging wireless and broadband areas. It has manufacturing plants in Malaysia, Mexico, China and Taiwan supported by 14,772 employees.
A BENQ-commissioned study into the buying habits of 15 to 20-year-olds has shown that young Saudi consumers are prepared to invest their money in well-marketed IT brands. “There is a digital technology change occurring in the Kingdom and consumers are focusing on the benefits and value lifestyle products can add to their busy schedules where previously technology was seen primarily as a business oriented necessity,” Dung said.
Indicating the size of the market, Dung said that some 500,000 to 1 million LCD TVs are sold in the Kingdom, most of the suppliers being new to the Kingdom and trying to get a successful niche in the trade. The Kingdom is a major market for electronic goods in the region and is on a par with countries such as Iran and Turkey.
