Consumers in Laos are beginning to shun traditional CRT TVs in favour of 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 per cent increase in the overall share of flat panel TVs.

In the six months to September, more than 11,000 television sets valued at more than US$2.3 million were sold, with sales of flat panel models contributing to nearly 40 per cent.

“The TV market in Laos has 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 the overall figure is still rather small when compared to other Southeast Asian countries,” said Wichit Purepong, GM of GfK Thailand who oversees the TV retail audit business for Laos.

Within the flat panel TV segment, dominated by Chinese brands, basic LCD TVs averaging around US$310 made up 76 per cent of the total retailed sales units. LED TVs, together with plasma TV, which sold at the average prices of US$599 and US$571 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.

“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 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.

GB