RSSConnecting the Black Friday dots: What to expect from CE retail
By Tim Conneally | Published November 26, 2008, 9:17 PM
In anticipation of the coming annual Black Friday spending surge, analysts have come out of the woodwork to voice their predictions. This afternoon, we took some time to parse some of them.
ComScore has predicted that this holiday season will have the exact same average online holiday spending as last year: $29.2 billion dollars. Though it is the same amount for this period as last year, it marks a decrease when compared to the whole year. Last year, consumer spending from January to October was $93.6 billion, and this year it has been $102.1 billion, a 9% increase overall.
Trends in the early shopping season (November 1-23) have shown a 4% overall decrease. Last year, $8.51 billion was spent, and this year $8.19 billion has been spent.
In a poll of 500 consumers, comScore found that 37% of all shoppers will be spending an increased amount of time searching out deals online, and 39% plan to buy online to take advantage of free shipping or no-tax transactions.
Consulting Firm Oliver Wyman directed a similar survey of 500 adults, finding that 50% of respondents are planning to decrease their "device spending," while only 21% of those surveyed said they planned to increase their spending in the area of Communications and Entertainment Media.
Retail Decisions has issued its prediction that the peak shopping minute on "Black Friday" will be precisely 10:25 am, constituting the busiest moment of online shopping all year. Presumably that same time holds true cross-continent, because the firm neglected to answer that famous question from "Inherit the Wind:" "Is that Eastern Standard Time? Or Rocky Mountain Time?"
The second busiest time on the clock, this firm predicts, will be at 9:49 am on "Cyber Monday," December 1. That group also anticipates the overall amount of money spent per transaction will decrease by 9%.
But what will be causing the most traffic congestion this year? Lycos today published its ninth annual most popular toys and video games list for the holiday season based upon searches, and found that the iPod is the most-searched "toy," with Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 coming in at 10, 12, and 13 respectively (behind a host of Anime characters, Webkinz, and Poker and Blackjack).
According to Lycos, the most-searched video games this holiday season so far have been RuneScape, Halo 3, Final Fantasy XIII, Diablo III, Grand Theft Auto IV, World of Warcraft, Resident Evil 5, Guitar Hero: World Tour, Call of Duty: World at War, and Street Fighter IV. These searches, however, may not be related to the holiday season as Resident Evil 5, the seventh most searched title, will not even be released until March 2009.
i like it ~wow gold yes i miss you cheap wow gold hello~, i want to make friend with you buy wow gold
Score: 0
|Let's see....my guess....
There will be items listed on sale.
And those with less discretionary spending might (should) spend less.
Those who can afford discretionary spending will find some of the best deals available in a LONG time.
Duh. Yawn.................................
You know, these articles are getting pretty weak when any reasonably lucid person could write them using only simple common sense.
If you want to address real mysteries of the universe, you might tell us why stores feel that their sale will be more effective if they begin it a 4am, selling out by 8am, rather than simply observing their regular business hours when even more people are available to shop.
Score: 0
|Well, foxfyre, I have an answer for you! Its the same great power that made us think The Phantom Menace might be a good film, that made us forget Palm invented the mobile touchscreen device about 100 years ago..that mysterious energy field connecting all things. I am talking, of course, about that amazing phenomenon called "hype". Only hype can turn the same prices you had the day before into "eary-bird specials". Only hype can move those giant stacks of Hanc*** on Blu-Ray despite its universal panning by any critic with a functional cerebellum. Only hype can make grown men fight over the last iPod nano available in "hot pink". Yes, if you are one of the average Joes about to waste a gallon of gas idling in front of a brick n' mortar tomorrow, then you deserve every bargain you're about to get (heh heh). OTOH, if you're one of the better informed CE aficionados then you will probably just cruise to Newegg or wherever and load up - you know, just like you always do, because it will still be cheaper and easier than going to your local Bust Buy or Cemetery City.
P.S.: I sincerely hope I'm wrong about all of this. What this economy needs right now is a major fire sale. My prediction? Whichever retail establishments survive this holiday will shape the industry for the next ten years.
Score: 0
|The irony is that while all are panicking, we are presented with the biggest firesale in most of our lifetimes! And smart folks will clean up!
And hey! I am planning on picking up every Adam Sandler movie available on BR! (After all, I think his titles account for at least half of the BR catalog! One can never get too much 'culture'! ;-)
But I 'ain't' showing up anywhere at 4AM to buy a DVD - even if it IS Adam Sandler! ;-))
Score: 0
|not even "hankock"? lol
Score: 0
|Those who can afford discretionary spending already have their houses overfilled to the brim with poorly made Chinese junk. Rich or poor, buying stuff will never make you happy.
Score: 0
|Buying stuff makes me happy.... I love being a consumer of technology and useless gadgets. If there was a metal box with switches and lights, made a few noises and looked important? Id buy 2 of them..
Score: 0
|