A look at NPD’s recently released Weekly Tracking Service data for the 2012 Super Bowl week shows total TV sales, and in particular big screens, maintained the momentum gained over the holiday shopping season. Sales of screens 50 inches and larger grew 11 percent in dollars compared to last year, and sets over 60 inches, still a small share of total screen sizes, nonetheless doubled last year’s revenue total. Meanwhile, sales of sets under 50 inches fell by 14 percent on a revenue basis.
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The auto market’s resurgence over the last year has coincided with an equally interesting period in consumer electronics as sales of mobile and portable devices continue to reach new heights. New features and services are allowing these devices to be used in a variety of places, and the vehicle is one environment where usage is sure to increase. In fact, The NPD Group’s recent study, Mobile CE: A Look Inside the Vehicle, finds nearly eight-in-ten (79 percent) car owners are using some type of portable digital device in the vehicle.
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This weekend, the 2011 sports year comes to a crescendo as the Patriots and Giants meet in Super Bowl XLVI. The timing of this de facto national holiday—after New Year’s and the frenzy of the holiday shopping season, is advantageous for retailers and manufacturers looking to invigorate their Q1 TV sales. Understandably, much of consumers’ focus will be on trading up to bigger screens in the shopping week prior to the game, but other features like 3D could also have an impact on buyers.
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Before The 2012 International CES even officially started there were some interesting developments on press day.
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Walk through any high school, college campus, or mall in America and you’re bound to see a young person listening to a big chunky pair of headphones. Whether the super popular Beats by Dre line, Roc Nation models from Skullcandy, or Soul by Ludacris, stereo headphones have quickly become equal parts listening device and fashion accessory.
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‘Tis the season for CES predictions and I thought I would offer my own take on some of the stories we’re likely to see during the 2012 International CES.
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With consumers taking advantage of deep discounts on flat-panel TVs this holiday season, The NPD Group’s recent TV Market Basket Study is a well-timed look at the entire value of the TV purchase– accessories and add-ons included. The study found, on average, $135 is spent on accessories and services (such as extended warranties) per television set sold. Added up, this equates to a sizeable amount of incremental revenue above the purchase price of the TV.
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For Cyber Monday, retailers seemed to have a different strategy for product discounting than what I observed in-store on Black Friday. While great deals on video products mainly took center stage Friday, Monday had a decidedly PC and imaging feel. I noted several offers for laptops, digital cameras, PNDs and accessories that, while present Friday, weren’t as prominent in-store. NPD’s Anatomy of Black Friday Study found that for Cyber Monday PCs and cameras were the most commonly purchased CE products, bought by 28 percent and 20 percent of all tech purchasers, respectively.
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With Black Friday now behind us, it’s time to find out what was hot and what we can expect over the final weeks of the holiday shopping season. With NPD’s Anatomy of Black Friday study data as a gauge, a couple things struck me as I reviewed both the results and my experience at the stores.
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After doing much of the cooking for my family’s epic Thanksgiving dinner, I wrestled with the prospect of going out into the cold November night to meet up with 600 of my closest electronics buying friends. My curiosity, however, got the best of me and I ventured out after my family had long gone to sleep. As we all know, Black Friday starts earlier and earlier each year and this Thanksgiving night, around 11pm still smelling of pumpkin pie, I set out to hunt for bargains. I visited my local Best Buy and Walmart– strategically mapped out near my home to avoid the inevitable traffic jams.
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Consumer Technology | Ben Arnold, Director of Industry Analysis | 
February 15, 2012 4:47 pm | 
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