Alphabet Inc’s Google Chromecast, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) streaming media player, topped e-commerce retailer PChome Online Inc’s (網路家庭) list of home appliances in terms of sales last year.
The device, which allows Internet content such as YouTube and Netflix to be displayed on a television, has proven its popularity among consumers as they grow increasingly dependent on smartphones, tablets and laptops, PChome said on Thursday.
Chromecast sales are expected to hit a new high this month as the Lunar New Year approaches, because the device is handy for larger group viewings, the company said.
Vacuum cleaners, such as Japan-based Iris Ohyama Inc’s IC-FAC2 mattress and furniture model and UK-based Dyson Ltd’s V8 cordless, were the second and third-most popular items respectively sold on PChome’s online shopping platform, the company said.
Also popular was China-based Xiaomi Corp’s (小米) second-generation Roborock vacuum cleaner, which was fifth, PChome said.
With consumers growing more concerned over air pollution, PChome had robust sales of air purifiers, including US-based Honeywell International Inc’s HPA-162WTW, Dyson’s Pure hot+cool HP04, Swedish Blueair AB’s Blue Pure 231, which were sixth, seventh and eighth respectively, it said.
Momo.com Inc (富邦媒體) also boasted strong sales of home appliances on its e-commerce platform last year, with Dyson’s V11 Fluffy cordless stick vacuum and Xiaomi’s robot vacuum cleaner among its top 10 sellers.
Other home appliances, such as Heran Co Ltd’s (禾聯家電) 14-inch smart touch air circulation fan and Teco Electric and Machinery Co’s (東元電機) heating and cooling air conditioner were also popular, Momo.com said.
NOT JUSTIFIED: The bank’s governor said there would only be a rate cut if inflation falls below 1.5% and economic conditions deteriorate, which have not been detected The central bank yesterday kept its key interest rates unchanged for a fifth consecutive quarter, aligning with market expectations, while slightly lowering its inflation outlook amid signs of cooling price pressures. The move came after the US Federal Reserve held rates steady overnight, despite pressure from US President Donald Trump to cut borrowing costs. Central bank board members unanimously voted to maintain the discount rate at 2 percent, the secured loan rate at 2.375 percent and the overnight lending rate at 4.25 percent. “We consider the policy decision appropriate, although it suggests tightening leaning after factoring in slackening inflation and stable GDP growth,”
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Greek tourism student Katerina quit within a month of starting work at a five-star hotel in Halkidiki, one of the country’s top destinations, because she said conditions were so dire. Beyond the bad pay, the 22-year-old said that her working and living conditions were “miserable and unacceptable.” Millions holiday in Greece every year, but its vital tourism industry is finding it harder and harder to recruit Greeks to look after them. “I was asked to work in any department of the hotel where there was a need, from service to cleaning,” said Katerina, a tourism and marketing student, who would
i Gasoline and diesel prices at fuel stations are this week to rise NT$0.1 per liter, as tensions in the Middle East pushed crude oil prices higher last week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) said yesterday. International crude oil prices last week rose for the third consecutive week due to an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, as the market is concerned that the situation in the Middle East might affect crude oil supply, CPC and Formosa said in separate statements. Front-month Brent crude oil futures — the international oil benchmark — rose 3.75 percent to settle at US$77.01
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