Home entertainment in particular is taking on new life and evolving fast as the cost of entertainment options outside the home become increasingly expensive, says Mthokozisi Nozibele, Customer Centre Manager for online retailer Teljoy.
“We’re seeing an uptake in demand for products such as home theatres and state-of-the-art sound systems, as well as gaming systems such as the Xbox and PlayStation,” notes Nozibele.
The drawback of owning such systems outright is ever-advancing technology; the system you may buy today, at a premium cost and often on a high-interest hire-purchase contract which could take years to pay off, could well be overshadowed within months by newer models.
This is a disadvantage of which rent-to-own models can take advantage. As an online supplier of household items ranging from appliances and furniture to electronics including TVs, laptops, sound systems, cellphones, gaming systems and cameras, Teljoy allows its consumers to upgrade, downgrade or cancel their agreements at any time.
“It enables our consumers to have the latest technology in their homes,” says Nozibele, with a number of items making the top of his own personal list of 2020 “must haves”.
1.Tune in
First on the list are televisions, where picture quality and ease of set up rule the electronic roost. A number of brands that hit the mark are Panasonic, which offers sets such as its 55” screen Smart Full HD LED TV or Hisense’s 55” Smart Ultra HD LED TV. Another brand to consider is Skyworth, relatively new to the South African market.
Nozibele elaborates: “This Chinese brand has been around for three decades already, but its audio-visual range has only recently begun to make its mark, predominantly because it is the first-of-its-kind Android TV in South Africa.
“Apart from its incredibly sleek design, its brightness and contrast ratio deliver great picture quality for streaming hi-res content, and yet its price point is incredibly reasonable for the quality you get. Plus, it comes with a built-in sound bar – definitely a good all-round system to consider.”
Full-on home theatre systems also remain hot property, such as the LG 4.2 Home Theatre System with HDMI DVD player or the Panasonic 2.0 mini component system.
2. Take Note
Notebooks are also becoming increasingly popular, says Nozibele: “But we are finding that consumers want the convenience of having all the compatible bells and whistles that you often need with these.”
As a result, Teljoy offers packages that incorporate notebooks with added value in terms of printers, headphones, and even cell phones. Perfect for everything from the professional or home office set up, options on Nozibele’s list include the Acer Celeron Notebook as well as the HP 15 i3 Notebook, both of which come with printers, or the Mecer x360 notebook that comes with a Samsung Grand Prime Pro cellphone as well as a power-bank and headset.
Image: Unsplash
“These bundles work really well for consumers who are looking for a one-stop-shop solution in a high-tech world,” says Nozibele.
3.Make the call
Samsung’s Android system also remains a winner in the South African environment, from its Grand Prime Pro through to the A10 with 13MP rear and 5MP front cameras built into the model.
“Another trend in which we are seeing an increase is that people, especially those who work for themselves, are carrying more than one phone at a time – one for personal calls and one for business purposes. Again, the rent-to-own model enables consumers to do this, and upgrade at any stage to the newer models which are coming out all the time,” says Nozibele.
4. Picture this
While most smart phones these days take excellent pictures, there are obviously still the purists who prefer dedicated cameras specifically designed to do just that, notes Nozibele, who lists the high-end Nikon CAMNISLD3500K002 among his personal favourites for 2020. Or, for the more entry-level amateur photographer, Teljoy offers the Canon Digital Camera starter bundle.
But the bottom line, says Nozibele, when it comes to electronics is to look out for the basics: “If its wireless, blue-tooth-enabled, smaller, sleeker, and preferably has a long battery life as well as being voice-activated, you can’t go wrong in making the right choices for 2020.”
