Says CEA economist

Oct 9, 2008 10:04 GMT  ·  By

As all of you probably know only too well, the whole world is going through a major financial crisis nowadays, one that will most likely leave its mark on the consumers' spending habits. Thus, it's very likely that a lot of people will give up on some of their favorite activities or will simply cut back on their money-draining ones, though it would seem that the market of consumer electronics in general and that of entertainment-related multimedia products in particular will manage to go pretty well through this period, and, perhaps, even record a slight increase.

The reason for this situation is that, as CEA economist Shawn DuBravac stated for AFP (quoted by PhysOrg), it's very likely that over the next period of time, users will tend to stay more at home, choosing various home entertainment solutions over the possibility of going out to see a movie, for example, or making some long-distance travels. Furthermore, they'll most likely also spend less on products that previously had shorter replacement-cycles (cars, mobile phones, etc.) and instead focus on more solid merchandise, which they'll be able to use for longer periods of time.

If this prediction turns out to be true, then it would actually represent a major plus for the most important manufacturers of CE products, most of which are located in Japan or Asia, which will ensure the fact that this part of the world will fare pretty well in the future.

There are way too many variables to take into account in order to make a very solid assessment of the future of the CE market over the next few months and years, when the effects of the financial crisis will actually penetrate the real economy. However, the rapidly-approaching Christmas shopping season will most likely represent quite a good compass for the direction in which the CE market is heading, so we promise to keep you posted on this particular subject as things unfold.

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