The ‘wait to buy’ approach seems to be the method of choice for many of the Gitex Shopper visitors who turned out on the first two days of the popular five-day event.
Of the thousands of shoppers flocking Halls 4-6 of the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) on Tuesday and Wednesday, a few were carrying the usual bundles of shopping bags you’d expect to see at a retail haven. So Khaleej Times spoke to visitors to find out why.
“This is my first time here, but I’ve already been given some good tips by past visitors. They tell me not to buy on the first few days, as the closing day discounts and bundle offers are usually better,” Umesh Nair said.
Manav Chotrani, a sales officer (exports) for Jacky’s Middle East, said bundle deals and further discounts are common across all stands during the last days.
“The first few days are always busy because it’s the initial stage and consumers come in to see what deals are on. And on the last few days, yes, bundle deal offers do increase, but it really depends on demand.
For instance, deals on products like the iPhone 10s and 10s Max will be unlikely to differ because they are in demand. But we always try to match the competition and if we don’t match price, we’ll add more products to bundles.”
“For instance, if we start with 50,000 products at the start of Gitex Shopper, we will reduce the price or offer better bundles on about 20,000 of those products,” meaning around 40 per cent of the product deals are altered to better suit the consumer’s needs at the point of sale.
Many shoppers feel they have “more bartering power” during the concluding hours of Gitex Shopper, so if buyers are patient, it could prove to be the best time to buy.
With a Dh2,000-Dh3,000 budget in mind for his TV, Nair said if he comes away spending less than anticipated, he’ll be a happy man. More
By Kelly Clarke khaleejtimes.com
