The consumer technology products market in Turkey grew by 7.5 percent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period last year and generated a turnover of TL 14.2 billion, data compiled by a research company showed.

In this period, large white goods group achieved a turnover of TL 3.5 billion, with a 35 percent hike year-on-year due to special consumption tax (ÖTV) reductions, offering the highest contribution to the market among other industries.

According to the research company GfK Temax data, the large white goods industry saw a high growth rate due to the ÖTV reduction that started in the Turkish consumer technology market in November and continued into the first quarter of this year. Small home appliances became one of the industries that achieved double-digit growth, while other groups shrank.

While all product groups saw double-digit growth figures in the large white goods industry, the oven product group remained at a lower growth level alone. In the same period, small home appliances turnover stood at TL 1.4 billion, marking a 16 percent rise.

Products that have become practical with the developing technology triggered growth. With the influence of the new generation Turkish coffee and drip pots, hot drink preparation as well as ironing were named the most popular categories.

Power blenders in food preparation units continued to grow, while hair dryers and hair stylers grew below average.

The telecom industry shrank by 6.4 percent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period last year, declining to TL 6.5 billion in turnover. The shrinkage was due to the installment limitation regulation in the smartphone product group and the reflection of the increase in the exchange rate on prices.

Turnover generated from smart watches and headset sales grew by over 40 percent.

SMARTPHONES OUTDO COMPUTERS

The information technologies industry contracted by 15.5 percent in the same period, falling to TL 1 billion in turnover. This decrease stemmed from the volatility of the dollar exchange rate and the negative impact of smartphones on information technology product groups. The most important product groups that triggered the contraction were laptops, desktops and tablet computers with double digit shrinkage, while contraction in keyboard and mouse was single digit.

Although gaming computer group saw double-digit growth figures last year, they shrank like other IT products, especially in the first quarter of this year. Consumer electronics industry waned by 3.5 percent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period last year, falling to TL 1.7 billion in turnover. Although television sales declined slightly in the same period, they performed better than other product groups in the industry.

UHD TVs continued to make a positive contribution to the product group with a double-digit growth. Products above 51-59 inches and 70 inches were among segments achieving positive growth. The office machinery and consumables industry contracted by 10.4 percent in the same period, falling to TL 117 million in the first quarter of this year. The highest shrinkage occurred in printers, multifunction printers and cartridges.

All this information was generated from data obtained from more than 425,000 sales points worldwide by GfK TEMAX.