After reports of very strong sales during the opening few days of the Gitex Shopper, in Dubai, UAE, exhibitors are busy restocking their inventories in preparation for the increased sales surge expected over the long Eid Al Adha holiday weekend.

Since its opening day on September 27, the Middle East’s largest consumer IT and electronics show has already seen tens of thousands of shoppers taking advantage of incredible deals by retailers including Al Falak, E-City, E-Max, Jacky’s Electronics, Jumbo, Plug Ins, Sharaf DG and 050Telecom. Special offers are available on everything, from electric home appliances to the recently released and highly sought-after iPhone 6 and iPhone Plus.

Trixie LohMirmand, senior vice president, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), said: “There is no question that Gitex Shopper is a must-attend event for both UAE residents and visitors, and the volume of traffic that the show enjoys makes it an extremely valuable retail channel for our exhibitors.  We’ve received reports from both power retailers and stand-alone brands of bumper sales results already, and with this weekend’s Eid Al Adha break, plans are in place to re-stock stands to meet the increased demand expected.”
 
Mahesh Chotrani, assistant vice president, Jacky’s Electronics, said: “Sales during the first three days have certainly picked up and we are optimistic that we will exceed our sales expectations once again. Typically, the amount we sell in the eight days of Gitex Shopper is equivalent to two month’s revenue in our stores. With the last few days of the event overlapping with Eid holidays, and with 60 per cent of our sales typically being generated from the last four days of Gitex Shopper, we expect many local residents and GCC tourists will come to check out the latest deals and exciting bundles. Sales of iPhone 6 have been excellent since the show opened, and we are currently receiving more official stocks for the forthcoming days.”

Neelesh Bhatnagar, CEO of Emax, said: "In light of the strong performance of our stand at the G Shopper during the first three days, we are optimistic that we are on our way to exceed the 30 per cent sales growth forecast set before the show kicked off. Our unique idea of rewarding customers with 20,000 flight tickets to 30 destinations has delighted consumers, with over 8,000 tickets already given away. Clearly, this Gitex Shopper is going to be very successful and a key driver of tech retailers' sales.”

Nadeem Khanzadah, head - OmniChannel Retail, Jumbo Electronics, said: “The timing of Gitex Shopper 2014 could not have been better. It follows a spate of much-anticipated technology launches, and concludes just before the Eid holiday. The combination is clearly working to the advantage of retailers at the show, with a strong influx of customers coming in from across the GCC to benefit from the showcase of new products and incredible deals. We has a fantastic opening day, and like previous Gitex shows, expect to see a strong pickup in sales mid-week, which will continue through the pre-Eid weekend. We’re expecting an increase in sales of 20 per cent over last year.”

With over 30,000 of the latest products being showcased and an array of incredible prizes being given away including return tickets to watch FC Barcelona play in Spain, a limited edition Honda Accord being given away daily, University Scholarships for Amity University Dubai, HD TVs, DSLR Cameras and smartphones, the incentive to shop is strong.

Gitex Shopper is open from 11 am to 11 pm and runs until October 4. Tickets are priced at Dh30 ($8) per person. – TradeArabia News Service