• December 4, 2012

Despite showing intentions to increase spending on consumer electronics this holiday season, retail sales for this year’s Black Friday declined 5.6% over the previous year, according to The NPD Group.

The decline was steeper than had been anticipated and follows 2011’s loss of 4%, according to the market research company. PCs, Android tablets and TVs accounted for 58% of all sales dollars up from 51% in 2009.

Despite the overall increases in the categories, flat-panel TV revenues dropped 6% as a result of declining average prices. (Thirty-two inch flat panel TVs account for 40% of all flat-panel sales, but the average unit prices was at an all-time low of $194, dragging overall revenue sales.) Sales of 55-inch flat-panel TVs increased 65%, while 60-inch sets increased 10 times over 2010. Notebook PC sales dropped 10%, with the sales of Apple notebooks flat and Windows notebooks off 10%, according to NPD. Sales of Windows 8 machines represented 89% of notebook sales