ICT and consumer electronics distributor Rectron has partnered with Taiwanese manufacturer BenQ, and the companies have unveiled several new display monitors and projectors to the local market.
"We are very excited about partnering with BenQ, and we are very positive about the expected uptake of the high-end products that we are bringing to the local market," says Spencer Chen, product director at Rectron.
Francois Rheeders, product manager at Rectron, believes South African consumers are becoming more selective when buying computer hardware.
"The users of high-end products usually have an understanding and expectation of the product they are purchasing. For example, if a person is buying a high-end PC specifically for gaming, they are usually chasing the highest frame rates for certain games and for certain settings on a monitor," says Rheeders.
Locally, Rheeders explains, the growth in demand for high-end computing products can be attributed to the availability of information on hardware, software and product compatibility via the Internet.
Through access to all this information, consumers are becoming more educated on the inner workings of computer hardware and the modularity thereof, he notes.
"More educated consumers now know exactly what they want in terms of hardware and, therefore, make better decisions when it comes to buying it, increasing consumer confidence in the end, and directly stimulating growth."
Market research firm Euromonitor International says disposable income growth for consumers in SA is expected to boost volume sales for the consumer electronics industry in the country. It expects consumer electronics to post 5% CAGR for volume sales up until the year 2017.
Factors such as the population growth of middle-class consumers are expected to stimulate growth in sales, which has been hampered by high debt levels among consumers limiting their spending ability, the firm says.
According to Euromonitor International, growth is mainly driven by low-value items in categories such as home audio and cinema, while computers and peripherals also saw remarkable growth. Increased access to the Internet by consumers did have a positive effect on the sales growth for products such as portable computers, including laptops and tablets, the firm adds.
Rheeders also notes Rectron is always looking to expand into new territories and verticals.
"That said, due to the fact that we have already established a strong gaming and performance market with our dealers through other leading brands, BenQ decided to come on board and partner with us to distribute its range of high-end gaming-grade monitors and projectors through our established dealer base," Rheeders says.
"BenQ has made its presence known in retail and the channel alike, through its expanding range of products, and Rectron sees this as a strategic partnership to further establish the BenQ brand in South Africa."
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