Shopping at an electronics shop on Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Street, Minh Truong of Thu Duc District said he was buying an air conditioner for his home to cope with hot weather.

Another customer at the shop, Hong Mai of Binh Thanh District, said she was wavering between a water misting fan and air conditioning tower fan.

Electronics stores in HCM City such as Nguyen Kim and Thien Hoa said demand for air conditioners and fans has recently skyrocketed with the onset of summer.

Tran Nguyen Tuan Anh, sales director at Thien Hoa Electronics Centre, said sales of cooling products have shot up by 40 per cent compared to earlier last month, and 20 per cent higher than the same period last year, despite the hot season just starting.

Anticipating that demand for cooling products such as air conditioners, fans and refrigerators will increase strongly in the hot season, electronics stores have prepared an abundant supply.

Among popular products are those that integrate smart and energy-saving technology such as water misting fans, air conditioning fans, and inverter air conditioners, with timer and touch control; and automatic refrigerators.

Small electronic shops also report higher sales of cooling products.

A shop owner on Hoang Van Thu Street in Tan Binh District said sales of fans, air conditioners, fruit juicers and blenders at her shop have risen significantly.

Demand is expected to continue rising in the coming months, with her stores forecasting sales to go up by 25-30 per cent, she said.

Both large stores and shops are offering promotions to boost sales.

In addition to offering discounts between 20-50 per cent on cooling products depending on the type, they have also applied their private promotions to attract customers.

Most electronic stores are offering free delivery and installation for cooling products and applying instalment payment with interest rate of zero per cent.

According to the Southern Hydro-meteorology Station, the average temperature in the city and south-eastern region from March to May will be 0.5-1 degree Celsius higher than the same period last year. — VNS