Bangkok, 19 November 2012 – Consumers in one of the lesser developed TV markets in Southeast Asia, Laos, is slowly but surely transitioning from purchasing the traditional CRT TVs to the more advanced flat panel TVs. According to GfK findings for TV sales in Vientiane for the last six months, the third quarter of this year saw an apparent 20 percent increase in overall share of the flat panel TV segment from the 47 percent reported in the previous quarter.
In 2012, GfK commenced retail tracking of TV sales in Vientiane, the capital of Laos which accounts for around 60 percent of the country’s overall TV market. In the six months period from April to September, over 11,000 television sets valued at over USD2.3 million were sold, with sales of flat panel models alone contributing to nearly 40 percent, or USD588,000 in total.
“The TV market in Laos have been largely dominated by CRT TVs until very recent months where our findings revealed higher volume sales of flat panel TVs over CRT TVs in Vientiane, although overall sales figure is still rather small when compared to other Southeast Asian countries,” observed Dr. Wichit Purepong, general manager of GfK Thailand who oversees the TV retail audit business for Laos.
Within the flat panel TV segment which sees a considerable penetration of Chinese brands, basic LCD TVs averaging around USD310 made up around three-quarter (76%) of the total retailed sales units. LED TVs, together with plasma TV, which sold at the average prices of USD 599 and USD571 respectively, constituted the rest of the remaining sales volume at an almost equal level.
Consumers in the country have also shown obvious preferences for specific screen sizes. For instance, 32 inch is the most popular dimension among LCD TV buyers, whereas 50 inch is the top selling segment for plasma TVs.
“Retail sales for flat screen TVs in the country may appear lower than the actual adoption level due to the fact that local consumers may be making their purchases from neighboring countries such as Thailand, where there is a wider product range and prices are generally lower,” explained Dr. Purepong.
“Technological penetration and corresponding level of consumer adoption in Laos is one of the least developed among all the Southeast Asian countries, and this in turn presents a wealth of potential and opportunities, especially for manufacturers who have tried and tested their products in the region,” said Dr. Purepong. “If the Laos TV market develops in a similar pattern to Thailand, we can potentially expect to see the market expand significantly and continue to advance in sophistication level in the years to come,” he concluded.
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