• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, November 2, 2010

With many experts predicting that consumer electronics will emerge as one of the hottest gift categories in an otherwise hum-drum holiday, Walmart, Target and Best Buy are already sweetening the shopping options.

Walmart is planning "The Amazing Walmart Electronics Event," kicking off Nov. 6, with low prices on a full line of Vizio HDTVs, including a 26-inch model for $198, a Compaq laptop for $288, and a $50 gift card for the Sony PlayStation 3 Move Bundle. And Target says it will begin offering the iPhone -- expected to be one of the season's most coveted gifts -- in some 850 stores that include Target Mobile centers beginning Nov. 7, and is cutting prices on iPod touch and offering two-for-one video games. Best Buy is rolling out its new line of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones and Beatbox portable speakers, and offering "Free Phone Friday" specials.

That's because while an estimated 32% of shoppers plan to make a consumer electronics purchase this season, reports the Consumer Electronics Association, they're also expected to be exceedingly price-wary. But they're looking to spend: The average American will shell out $232 on electronics gifts this year, according to CEA's 17th Annual CE Holiday Purchase Patterns Study -- a gain of 5% from last year, and the highest dollar amount in the history of the study.

More of them -- 66% -- will be shopping at mass merchants like Target and Walmart, a trend that holds even truer for shoppers earning $75,000-plus. (By comparison, 60% will shop at electronics stores like Best Buy, 46% will buy online, and 40% say they plan to make their purchases at warehouse clubs.)

In fact, while peace and happiness are back in the No. 1 spot for "What's on the top of your Christmas wish list?" (last year, P&H fell all the way to No. 5) laptop/notebook computers came in second, followed by an iPad, clothes and eReader. When asked what electronics item they most crave, notebook or laptop came in first, followed by an iPad, then an eReader. (Last year, notebooks/laptop, MP3s, and flat-panel TVs were most desired.)

The poll, which looked at the shopping plans of just over 1,000 adults, also saw a sharp increase in the targeted giftees: 37% plan to buy them for their spouse or sweetie, up from 27% last year. And 48% plan to buy them for kids, up from 43% last year.