The rise of drones: sales up sevenfold in two years
21.4.2017
Translation: machine translated
Remote-controlled drones have reached the mass market. In 2016, we sold almost seven times as many drones as in 2014. More and more women and young people are buying them.
Swiss skies are buzzing like never before: according to the Federal Office of Civil Aviation FOCA, Swiss households now own several tens of thousands of drones. And that number is growing every day.
Summer - drone season
There are also seasonal differences in sales by price segment: at Christmas, toy drones priced up to 300 francs are particularly popular. In summer, it's higher-quality drones, priced between 800 and 2,000 francs, that are most in demand. "I suspect this trend will become even more pronounced this year," says Blijdenstein. In summer and autumn 2016, Swiss online shoppers already bought more quality drones than toy drones.
The fact that manufacturers make far more turnover in Switzerland with high-end drones than with toy drones is also striking: models priced between CHF 800 and CHF 2,000 now account for almost two-thirds of annual turnover.
More and more women and young people
Since 2012, the age of drone buyers has fallen: now more than half are under 40. Blijdenstein believes that "this could be due to lower prices, as well as improved video functionality and usability". The proportion of buyers aged between 50 and 59 has fallen and, by contrast, the 20-29 age group has risen sharply.
Drones remain a male domain, however: at present, eight out of ten buyers are men. But women are on the right track: in two years, their share has risen by three per cent.
Always more compact, always easier to use
Drones are in the news in Switzerland this year too: Blijdenstein assumes that sales will increase significantly again - provided the weather is favourable. "The proportion of women and young drone users should also continue to grow in parallel."
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Alex Hämmerli
Senior Public Relations Manager
Alex.Haemmerli@digitecgalaxus.chAt Digitec and Galaxus, I’m in charge of communication with journalists and bloggers. Good stories are my passion – I am always up to date.
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