Computer sales forecast to expand by 7.9% this year

Thailand’s personal computer (PC) market should grow by 7.9% this year, based on demand from companies eager to transform their business, according to an analyst at IT research firm IDC Thailand.

In the first quarter of 2023, the market dipped 20.3% year-on-year, but grew 12.9% quarter-on-quarter thanks to consumer spending via the government’s “Shop Dee Mee Kuen” (shop and payback scheme) tax deduction for shoppers from January to mid-February.

Puwanart Pientanyakij, market analyst for device research at IDC Thailand, cited the IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Device Tracker, which reported that the country reached 566,000 unit sales in the first quarter. The decline was led by the consumer segment, with shipments falling 31.1% year-on-year to 339,000 units.

Vendors have been focusing on clearing channel inventory since last year, amid the post-pandemic drop in demand,…