THE pandemic has given opportunity to a lot of young people to explore the world of content creation. Some have launched YouTube channels, and some started vlogging. The trend has given rise to the demand for different equipment used for content creation. From camera gear to a variety of lights, electronic shops around the city are stacking up on all sorts of tools and equipment to cater to the needs of this growing community. The young entrepreneurs’ strides become halted when purchasing electronic gazettes for creating content aiming at grabbing consumers’ attention.
There are increased demands for microphones, LED and ring lights, mobile tripods, action cameras, and other accessories that are regarded as vlogging essentials. Despite the rise in demand, shop owners are being forced to sell some of these products at a much higher rate. The ongoing pandemic has had little-to-no impact on the demand for professional cameras. Although the prices of lighting and audio systems are reasonable, people are trending on purchase of cameras and lenses at a much higher price. Each camera now costs around Tk 10,000 more than its usual price. Such sudden and drastic changes in prices led many sellers to lose some of his more regular customers. Only a few, who absolutely cannot do without a camera now, are opting to buy at its current price.
It goes without saying that the current situation brought on by the pandemic has had a direct impact on this sector. Shipments are not arriving on time, which is one of the main causes of a higher price. Insiders said the arrival of certain products is being delayed by two to three weeks. On top of that, supply is inadequate to meet growing demand, and hence, the price is also a bit steep. With international trade and shipping affected, only time will tell when the newest releases will be available in the local market, and at what cost. As the pandemic is disrupting international trade that eventually pushes local enterprise development, local industries can come up with setting up electronic factories to meet the pressing demands.
