A recent survey has found that South Africa ranks in the top 10 for pricey electronic goods.
According to European technology rentals company Grover.com, out of the 50 countries in the study, South Africa has the nine most expensive electronics.
On average, Argentina is the most expensive country in which to purchase electronics, with a total deviation of 67.34% above the average cost of common electronic goods. Hong Kong offers the cheapest electronic items, with costs averaging 16.46% below the median, followed by the US and Indonesia.
“At Grover, we’ve witnessed the impact supply chain disruptions have had on the availability and affordability of electronic goods. Though we took proactive measures to maintain our own stock, the severity of supply chain disruption had market-wide ramifications.
“Technology is ubiquitous within the modern world and will only increase in importance as further advances are made. We decided to conduct this study to draw attention to the fragility of current supply chains and in the hope that these issues do not become commonplace,” said Giacomo Dalle Vedove, Grover’s Vice-President for International, Growth, Debt Collections and Business Analytics.
As an observer of global electronics shortages since the pandemic, the company decided to investigate further by using data to analyse how global supply chain bottlenecks and import tariffs have affected the availability and cost of electronics around the world.
‘Though the long-term ramifications of the pandemic may still be unclear, this study shines a light on just how the consumer electronic industry has reacted to it.
‘For many of us, smartphones and computers allow us to stay connected to the world around us; to friends, family and loved ones. This study highlights the impact of the pandemic on different countries that are best placed to stay connected in a digital landscape,” Vedove said.
[Photo: Firmbee.com]