Brazilian PC market shrinks by 36 percent
The PC market in Brazil has seen a 36 percent drop in sales in 2015 - the worst performance of the last ten years, according to analyst IDC.
Some 6,6 million computers were sold between January and December last year. Of which, 2,6 million were desktops and 4 million were notebooks - both categories saw a 36 percent drop in relation to 2014 numbers.
Of the total amount of PCs sold, 32 percent were purchased by corporations, while final consumers bought the largest chunk of 68 percent.
"2015 was the worst year for the PC market in Brazil since 2005, when almost the same number of units were sold in the country - however the market was on the upswing back then," says IDC analyst Pedro Hagge.
"Last year saw frequent oscillations of the dollar in relation to the Brazilian real, unemployment going up and the country facing a difficult moment, politically and economically speaking. This has directly affected consumer buying behaviors," Hagge adds.
Despite the drop in the number of units sold, the average ticket went up: according to IDC, the average cost of a PC in 2014 was R$1694 ($468.8) - last year, that price tag went up to R$2323 ($642.9), so a 37 percent price increase.
According to IDC, the Brazilian consumer is more demanding and wants higher-spec equipment, but manufacturers haven't been able to offer lower pricing for better devices.