Australian consumers spent $2.424 billion dollars on digital technologies in the first half of 2008, according to the latest Canon Digital Lifestyle Index (CDLI), which has just been released.

 

October 8, 2008: Australian consumers spent $2.424 billion dollars on digital technologies in the first half of 2008, according to the latest Canon Digital Lifestyle Index (CDLI), which has just been released.
This is the highest figure ever for this period. The CDLI represents independent research commissioned by Canon and compiled by GfK using information on sales figures (units and dollar value) provided by GfK’s retail audit panel. The growth from the latest CDLI report was even higher than the corresponding period in 2007, with total sales values for products covered by the CDLI increasing by 12.1%. At this rate, and based on second-half trends that take into account the Christmas period, Canon foresees a record spend of 5.5 to 6 billion dollars by the end of 2008.

 

One factor that kept sales buoyant was the fall in average prices in 10 of the 11 product categories covered by the CDLI. Interestingly, the products that experienced large price reductions such as flat panel televisions, digital still cameras, and digital media players accounted for the majority of the 1H 2008 sales. For example, as average Plasma TV prices fell by 26% (down $668 to $1,871) unit sales increased by 38%. Unit sales of digital still cameras increased by 27% (from 1H 2007 to 1H 2008) as prices reduced by 23% (down $85 to $279).
The latest CDLI also reveals categories in decline, including DVD players with their already high household penetration rate, and single-function inkjet printers in the face of high multi-function device growth. The digital video camera category remains relatively stable in terms of unit growth. Total sales for the products covered by the CDLI increased by $262 million (12.1%) when compared to 1H 2007, outperforming the year-on-year growth of 9.4% in the previous year (from 1H 2006 to 1H 2007).