The Gfk Technical Market Index (Temax) showed that the telecommunications sector, in particular, benefited from the tech craze as Southeast Asians spent more on smartphones rather than smaller domestic appliances.

The Gfk Temax measures the technical consumer goods markets across 30 countries worldwide. The index is derived from monitoring the markets for consumer electronics, imaging & photo, home appliances, information technology & office equipment, and telecom.

The index for the first quarter 2011 showed that the technical consumer goods industry registered a 12 per cent increase compared to the first quarter of last year. The report covered five Southeast Asian countries -- Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Four out of the five markets - with the exception of Singapore -- registered double-digit growth from 12 to 30 per cent. Indonesia bested Vietnam, which was leading in the last two quarters.