According to GfK Temax, in the third quarter of 2015 the Russian TCG market recorded a decline of 2.4%, compared to the same period of previous year. Three sectors reported a positive performance and the best result was in the office equipment and consumables sector which grew by 7.8%, compared to Q3 2014. This was followed by the major domestic appliances and telecommunications with growth of 5.3% and 4.7%, respectively. All other sectors reported negative performances, including consumer electronics, IT and photography.
Major domestic appliances
In Q3 2015, the growth (in value terms) in the MDA sector was about 5% compared to the same period in 2014. However it has not compensated the weak beginning of year 2015. Cumulative Q1-Q3 result is still below by 4%. Built-in appliances maintained a strong position in Q3 2014. Due to an affordable product mix and the local production of cooling and washing machines, the demand for freestanding goods has not dropped too much versus Q3 2014.
Small domestic appliances
In the third quarter of 2015, the small domestic appliances market showed moderate recovery, being 4% below the results for Q3 2014. In the second quarter of 2015, results were 10% lower than in the same period in 2014. The slowing of the negative trend is being influenced by the next wave of price increases. Falling demand for units in the SDA sector continued, down by 30% compared to Q3 2014. Traditional sales stagnated while the online segments performed very well with 15% growth, compared to Q3 2014. While turnover in core SDA categories did not recover discernibly, small niche segments maintained double-digit growth rates.
Consumer electronics
The third quarter of 2015 for the CE sector showed a decline of about 11% compared to Q3 2014. The demand for TVs in Q3 2015 was 37% below the results for the same period in 2014, while the value trend (down by 13%) looked more positive, due to significant price increases. Consumers tended to choose more basic and less expensive models, shifting from Full HD to HD Ready only – sales of which grew by 5%, compared to Q3 2014. In the home audio segment, demand grew only for audio systems which could be connected to other devices via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Airplay. Sales in this area almost doubled in Q3 2015.
Photography
It appears that Q2 2015 was the low point for this market. In Q3 2015, the overall situation improved due to the support from retailers and vendors. However, the market declined by 50% in terms of units, and about 30 in value in Q3 2015, compared to Q3 2014. Also, a trend for an increased value share of premium cameras was noted. The full-frame cameras segment reached almost 8.5% value share, while the mirrorless cameras segment increased to 11%. The bridge compact cameras market share (with zoom lenses larger than 20x) exceeded 18% in Q3 2015, compared to Q3 2014.
Information technology
The IT sector continued to record a stable trend, and ended Q3 2015 with a fall in value of 6%, compared to Q3 2014. Increased prices remained the major inhibiting force for the core computing markets. Sales volumes for computers were 30% below previous year’s results, while the volume of mediatablets sold declined by around 40%, compared to Q3 2014.
Telecommunications
In Q3 2015, the TLC sector registered growth in turnover of around 5%, compared to Q3 2014. This was driven by an average sales price increase of almost 25%. Due to the price leap, demand in the market fell by nearly 15% in Q3 2015. Smartphones seemed to be a stabilizing factor, with steady demand in Q3 2015 (there was an increase of 2% in turnover compared to Q3 2014). The wearable devices and headsets segments recorded positive demand.
Office equipment and consumables
Prices in the OE sector remained well above their 2014 levels, causing buyers to look for good deals wherever possible. For instance, business customers continued to shift towards cheaper clone cartridges. This drove sales of these items up by 29%, compared to Q3 2014. This was enough to achieve parity between sales of clone and original cartridges for the first time ever in the B2B channel. Despite the shift to cheaper alternatives, and despite 20%-25% fewer units in the consumables segment being sold compared to 2014, the value was 7.8% above Q3 2014.
