Like replica jerseys and flags of national teams featuring in the FIFA World Cup flying off the shelves, sales of television sets have soared as football fans upgrade to enjoy the event to the maximum.
The Eid-ul-Fitr, which will fall two to three days after the biggest sporting event on the planet begins on June 14, has spiked the sales.
Consumers buzzing the showrooms and shops have brought smiles to the faces of the TV companies and salespeople.
Officials and vendors at Mirpur, Gulshan, Mohakhali and Farmgate said on Tuesday that sales rose manifold compared with any other times of the year.
Demand for widescreen TVs and smart TVs with WiFi was high, they said.
“Customers prefer smart TVs. Our TVs with monitors of 24 inches, 32 inches and 43 inches are selling most,” Walton Group Head of Marketing and Executive Director Emdadul Haque Sarkar told a news agency.
Walton TV prices start from Tk 13,000, he said. The company’s 32-inch smart TV costs Tk 19,990 while 43-inch LED TV is priced between Tk 40,000 and Tk 45,000.
Walton Deputy Executive Director Uday Hakim said their TV sale has doubled this season.
“We are also offering different facilities and discounts until June 30. Consumers can enjoy a 5 per cent discount while shopping online,” he said.
Fans are also buying TVs from online store Daraz. Its officials said their sale has increased around three folds.
Shamsul Alam, a retired public servant, was browsing the TV shops at Bashundhara City shopping mall to get it right.
He said his family wanted to watch the World Cup matches on a big screen TV.
“My children have asked me to buy a smart TV. I’ve heard these are selling like hot cakes nowadays,” he said.
A Sony Centre executive at the shopping mall said internet TV was selling much along with 4K ones and those with Android operating system.
The centre is selling 32-inch TV at Tk 33,000 and 48-inch TV at Tk 68,000. While android TVs are being sold between Tk 43,000 to Tk 50,000 there.
Sony's massive 77-inch Bravia 4K is worth Tk 1.9 million at the current market.
Among them Samsung TVs, mainly 32-inch and 43-inch smart ones are in great demand.
A salesman at the brand’s showroom at the shopping mall said they had TVs priced between Tk 16,000 and Tk 239,000.
TV sets are also available with the option of paying back in installments at Best Electronics.
Its Director Syed Tahmid Zaman said they were thinking about more flexible installment plans and low down-payments to boost sales, reports bdnews24.