Australia’s demand for digital lifestyle products in the second half of 2010 remained strong, according to the latest Canon Consumer Digital Lifestyle Index.
The independent research report, which is commissioned twice a year by Canon and compiled by Retail Market Insights, examines the acquisition and usage of various digital products in Australia.

Its latest findings show that Australians bought 8 million digital devices at a total value of A$3.6bn (£2.3bn) during the second half of 2010.

Volume (unit) sales performance remained strong for the period. Personal video recorders and PCs led the way, with unit growth of 25% and 24%, respectively. They were followed closely by LCD TVs, which showed a unit growth of 18%.

In the plasma TV category, full HD panels grew in units by 39% and 3D TVs comprise 16% of the total plasma TV market by value. The report is confident that the adoption of 3D technology will gain further momentum as the amount of 3D content increases.

A significant number of consumers were buying out of choice, not necessity. For example, 21% of plasma TV buyers needed to replace a broken set, but nearly twice as many (38%) were upgrading an existing, operating, product.

“The results illustrate the very strong appetite that Australians continue to have for technology and the resilience of the sector in challenging conditions,” said Jason McLean, director – Canon Consumer Imaging, Canon Australia.

“Despite factors such as successive interest rate rises, generally subdued consumer sentiment and increasingly high household penetration of some product categories, the industry has sustained high demand as our lifestyle evolves.

“The research shows that people don’t want a cheap product, they want a quality one. With the continuing consumer focus on enhancing the lifestyle experience through quality and advanced functionality, how we help consumers achieve their lifestyle objectives is the critical opportunity.”