Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/28/2013 -- BMI View: We project Serbian consumer electronics spending will grow by about 6% in US dollar terms in 2012 to US$1.2bn, with macroeconomic headwinds originating from the eurozone having put a brake on faster growth for now. Serbia is one of the poorest markets in Central and Eastern Europe, and stubbornly high unemployment will constrain household spending in the short term, while elevated inflation will impinge on real purchasing power. Retail sales bear out this grim picture: following several months of positive growth earlier in the year, they contracted by 5.7% y-o-y in July 2012. Underlying economic growth, rising disposable income and the development of organised retail infrastructure are forecast to drive growth longer-term. Sales of flat-screen TV sets and feature-rich notebook computers will continue to benefit from falling prices and more aggressive vendor and distributor promotion.

View Full Report Details and Table of Contents

Computer Hardware Sales: US$441mn in 2012 to US$461mn in 2013, +5% in US dollar terms. Forecast in US dollar terms downwardly revised due to macroeconomic factors, but tablet sales should provide a growth area as prices fall.

- AV Sales: US$427mn in 2012 to US$444mn in 2013, +4% in US dollar terms. Forecast in US dollar terms downwardly revised due to economic factors with flat-screen TV sets the main growth driver.
- Handset Sales: US$271mn in 2012 to US$293mn in 2013, +8% in US dollar terms. Forecast in US dollar terms unchanged, with demand for advanced phones encouraged by new data applications.

Risk/Reward Ratings:

Serbia's score was 36.0 out of 100.0, which gave it an unchanged eighth place in our latest EUR CE RRR table. BMI expects Serbia to climb up our RRR rankings over time due to the growth potential of its market, particularly given low, but rising PC penetration.

Key Trends & Developments

- Demand for higher-end models will help support the Serbian handset market in the face of the slowing subscriber growth rate. The smartphone penetration rate is considerably below the 18% level found in Western European markets, leaving plenty of room for growth. Demand for more expensive smartphones and high-end feature phones was reported by retailers to hold up fairly well, despite the economic crisis.
- According to the Serbian Ministry for Telecommunications and Information Society, Serbia was due to complete its switchover to digital broadcasting of radio and TV programmes in 2012. After years of delays, the commitment to a deadline should help to put the market for digital TV sets on a more promising trajectory. The government has also announced additional funding to support the transition, including new funds to subsidise set-top box purchases.

About Fast Market Research
Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. Representing the world's top research publishers and analysts, we provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available. Our unbiased, expert staff will help you find the right research to fit your requirements and your budget. For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at http://www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.

Browse all Consumer Goods research reports at Fast Market Research

You may also be interested in these related reports:

- Bulgaria Consumer Electronics Report Q1 2013
- Malaysia Consumer Electronics Report Q1 2013
- Indonesia Consumer Electronics Report Q1 2013
- Peru Consumer Electronics Report Q1 2013
- Poland Consumer Electronics Report Q1 2013
- China Consumer Electronics Report Q1 2013
- Israel Consumer Electronics Report Q1 2013
- Colombia Consumer Electronics Report Q1 2013
- Czech Republic Consumer Electronics Report Q1 2013
- Croatia Consumer Electronics Report Q1 2013