About 51.4 per cent respondents in a consumer behaviour survey said their purchase decisions were affected by online research, while only 22.4 per cent of their purchases were affected by print media.

The survey, conducted by Dubai-based consumer electronics retailer Plug Ins, also noted that about 59 per cent of the respondents said that they were influenced by in-store communication prior to purchase.

The survey was conducted through multiple channels including online and across eight stores. It gathered responses from over 1,100 participants across 96 nationalities over a period of 30 days.

It looked at four key CE categories: smartphones, TV’s, laptops/tablets and cameras and asked some pertaining questions including what drives the need for new technology in the UAE, how are global trends affecting local purchasing habits and how can the industry do better?

Smartphones appeared strongly in both categories – recent past purchase and planned future purchase, with Samsung and Apple currently dominating the market. While choosing a particular smartphone, brand was considered the most important factor, followed by features and price.

The survey found that the 50-inch televisions are the fastest growing panel size, which about 51.4 per cent of respondents said they owned a panel size between 32- to 39-inch, followed by 40- to 42-inch. The top reasons for a new purchase were resolution and device compatibility.

Respondents were influenced by the brand name, followed by app availability, when purchasing a laptop or tablet, said the survey. While 91 per cent respondents owned a laoptop, tablets were foremost in planned purchases. The primary use of the devices was browsing, followed by work and education, it said.

The factors driving the purchase of a new camera were features, followed by brand and offers. Respondents’ current ownership of DSLRs was 42.9 per cent as compared to 40.8 per cent who owned point-and-shoot cameras. Camcorders current ownership stood at 16.3 per cent and planned purchases at 15.2 per cent. - TradeArabia News Service