Electronics Sellers Rack Their Brains as US Dollar Strength Leaves Mobile Phone Sales Flat

The weakening of the rupiah exchange rate against the US dollar in recent times has significantly affected the selling prices of electronic goods in shopping centres. This is also reflected in the declining number of buyers for electronic goods. Adi, an employee at an electronics store in a mall in South Jakarta, revealed that the prices of electronic goods such as tablets have increased. Alongside this, the number of visitors has also started to decrease from usual. ‘Tablet prices have gone up, an effect of the dollar as well,’ he said when met by CNBC Indonesia. He also said that smartphone sales at the electronics store have been sluggish recently. This slowdown is marked by the decreasing frequency of buyers. To work around the sales slump, the electronics store where Adi works is offering promotions in the form of discounts of up to millions of rupiah to keep consumers interested in purchasing electronic products, including gadgets. At another smartphone outlet, only two employees were seen minding the store, with the occasional visitor browsing the products. The prices of mobile phones at the store varied considerably, starting from under Rp10 million to over Rp30 million. ‘Here we have a zero per cent instalment system for a number of banks using credit cards,’ explained Ridwan, a smartphone store employee.