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Gadget-crazy Singaporeans kept the cash registers at the IT Show ringing over the weekend, as vendors raked in combined sales of $48 million — a record in the show's 16-year history.
The top three items on most buyers' shopping list: High Definition Television (HDTV) sets, Sony Playstation 3 game consoles and laptop computers.
Over four days, 718,000 people thronged the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre — also a record.
Last year, 630,000 people visited the show, and spent $34 million.
While the desire to beat the GST hike may have prompted some purchases, general manager of organiser Eastern Directories Melvin Koh said sales of the top three items reflect the high IT penetration in Singapore society.
He said some buyers were stocking up HDTV sets in anticipation of the wave of HDTV programmes set to hit the screens, while others were quick on the draw for the Sony Playstation 3 game consoles, released here last Wednesday.
"Singapore society is technology driven and is fast becoming the launching base in Asia for technology. There is high IT penetration and absorption of technology," said Mr Koh.
"The sales also reflect the healthy economy with people more willing to spend on big-ticket items."
Student Daniel Sim was one buyer who left the fair with a game console and an MP3 player, paying almost $1,000 for the gadgets.
"There are discounts here, so I might as well take advantage of them," Mr Sim told TODAY. "If not, I'd have to pay much more when the GST increase kicks in."
According to the organiser, the just-concluded fair is the biggest one so far, with 300,000 sq ft of floor space used in this year's IT show, a 15-per cent increase over the previous one.
But the aim is for the next fair, in September, to get even bigger. According to Mr Koh, the plan is to occupy all of Suntec Singapore, a 35-per cent increase in terms of floor area.
Not all the offerings at the IT show were electronic products, though. Most of the major banks took the opportunity to promote their credit card products, sometimes tied to tech-related gifts and offers. Prudential Insurance had booths outside the exhibition halls as well.
The extras did not go down well with some shoppers. "They shouldn't do this. It (distracts) shoppers who come here looking to buy gadgets and computers," said quality assurance supervisor William Seenee, who was at the fair to buy a computer for his children.
However, not all shoppers were miffed by the presence of such companies. Sales and marketing manager Lee Kai Seng said: "They're here to take advantage of the human traffic. They just want to catch the crowds." - TODAY
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