Spending by Australians on digital devices increased by more than half a billion dollars in the first half of 2006 compared to the same period last year, according to the latest Canon Digital Lifestyle Index (CDLI).

 

September 4, 2006: Spending by Australians on digital devices increased by more than half a billion dollars in the first half of 2006 compared to the same period last year, according to the latest Canon Digital Lifestyle Index (CDLI).
The report, which is based on independent research by GfK Marketing Services, shows sales for digital devices to be growing much faster than for the retail industry sector as a whole – despite the high cost of fuel and some food items.

Fuelling this growth was Australia’s love of flat screen TVs with spending on plasma screens reaching $486.7M and LCDs attracting a further $409.9M. So strong are the sales of flat screens that this category accounts for almost 50% of the entire CDLI spend in 1H 2006.
Digital still camera sales have also remained strong, increasing by 37%, at a time when the market is mature and in an upgrade cycle. There has also been a growth surge in the digital camcorder market, fuelled largely by the introduction of new DVD and HDD models. Sales of multifunction printers picked up sharply in 2006, and are the best performed of the categories in the Image and Print segment of the CDLI, with an increase of 30% compared to Q1 2005, partly due to consumers switching from single-function printers. Digital media player unit sales leapt 46% in the last 12 months.