About twenty years ago, Pansodan was the unofficial red light district of Yangon. Now, it is officially the place to shop for electronics goods in Yangon. Those of you coming to Myanmar and wanting to furnish your own flat, could not possibly do without electronic goods. And those wishing to buy electronic goods cannot possibly go without going to Pansodan to at least check out the variety and prices.
In terms of the world market, the likes of Apple, Samsung, HP, Dell, Fujitsu, Lenovo, Panasonic, Sony, etc., dominate the electronic goods market. Yet, it is different in Myanmar, as the income of the majority dictates the demand for certain brands of competitively priced electronic goods, where prices play a huge factor in decision making. Whether you are buying mobile phones, air conditioners, laptops, refrigerators, TVs or DVD players, you can find the goods at the prices ranging from very low (for Chinese brands) to high end (the above-mentioned brands) in Pansodan.
Going along Pansodan Road, from the upper block to lower block, there are rows of electronic shops, mostly privately owned. Some shops are opened directly by foreign companies, owming specific brands, some are distributors and some are retailers. One has to be careful though, as a few unscrupulous traders have been exposed for outright cheating of consumers by sticking the Japanese brand labels and stickers on generic China made products. Just make sure that you are getting exactly the brand that you are paying for.
Even for the famous brands in the world, they may not be able to enjoy the same level of success in Myanmar. Just looking at mobile smart phone category, the best selling phones are Huawei, Xiaomi, Samsung, Vivo, Oppo, Gionee, Iphone, LG, Sony, Coolpad, Kenbo, in that order. Majority of the best sellers are Chinese brands, which appeal much to budget conscious Myanmar consumers. The phones are imported directly from China.
The demand for air conditioners is hotter than ever in this very hot season; in fact, more than half of the yearly sales of air conditioners are made within three months from March to May. For air conditioners, the pricing differential between Chinese and Japanese brands is minimal. Consumers prefer to buy Japanese brands as a result. The brand leaders are Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Sharp, Samsung, LG, Chigo, Changhong and Daikin. The air conditioners power in Myanmar is measured in terms of horsepower (HP), with 1HP and 2HP grades making up the bulk of the air conditioners sold. For the lower income group, they tend to purchase air coolers and fans instead of air conditioners.
If you need to stock up computer equipment for your office, you can also source for these at Pansodan. The well-known and well-stocked computer brands in Yangon include HP, Acer, Asus, Lenovo, Dell, MSC, NEC, Fujisu, Sony, Apple, etc.
As with all purchases of electronics goods, be it in Hong Kong, Singapore or Myanmar, the same motto of ‘Buyer Beware’ applies. Research your potential purchase on the internet for features and prices and then head down to Pansodan and you may end up getting your first high-tech gadget in Myanmar.
