Digital lifestyle sales hit $941m

Australians spent $941 million on “digital lifestyle” products in the first calendar half of 2005, an increase of 23 percent on the same period last year.

The Canon Digital Lifestyle Index (CDLI), commissioned by Canon and market analyst GfK, found the strongest growth was recorded in digital camera sales with spending reach $288 million.

GfK defines “digital lifestyle” buyers as people that accessed, used and distributed digital media every week.

Other products that fall into this category include digital audio devices, DVD hardware, scanners, inkjet printers, camcorders, games consoles, multi-function devices and digital TVs.

Spending on DVD hardware was $174 million or 18 percent of the total spend. Australians also spent $158 million worth of digital audio devices, 16.8 percent of the spend, the research found.

The CDLI also compared spending in the UK with Australia. In the large spending categories, the British purchased more digital cameras and DVDs, however Australians purchased more “hip” digital audio devices.

NSW and ACT residents were the biggest buyers of digital cameras in the country with 4.26 percent of the population in these states buying a camera in the first and second quarter. QLD had the highest proportion of pure digital TV buyers followed by NSW and SA.

Nationwide, sales of digital audio devices in the first half of 2005 totalled 567,000 units. Sales hit a peak of 347,000 units in Q2, the highest on record. The average price for digital audio devices during the period was $270.42.