technology

Tech Continues To Be Hot Holiday Seller, CEA Finds

Consumers will be opening, unwrapping and receiving an unprecedented number of products during this year's holiday season.

According to the Consumer Electronics Association, some 65% of Americans (about 160 million people) are planning to buy technology-related gifts this year. Spending on those products will reach about $34.2 billion dollars, a growth of a little more than 2% over last year. 

Among the top products expected to be purchased as gifts this year are headphones and earbuds (28% and 27% of consumers are planning to purchase those products, respectively, this year), tablets (26%) and portable bluetooth speakers (25%). Nearly a quarter of shoppers (23%) said they were likely to purchase a video game accessory (which include devices like in-game playable figurines), up 7% over last year.

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Another bright spot for the sector will be emerging technologies such as smart-home devices, wearable activity trackers and flying drones. About a third of consumers said they intend to buy a product in one of those emerging categories, says Samantha Powers, senior manager of market research for the CEA. 

“Usually with emerging technology, you see a slow-and-steady pace before the rapid growth, and now we’re seeing that rapid growth,” Powers tells Marketing Daily. “Usually we’d see a one in five — or 20% — purchase intent for emerging technology.”

The technology consumers already own is also shaping how they shop for products as well. While more than half (55%) of consumers will shop online for tech purchases (with more than two-thirds saying they’ll be using a mobile device — such as a smartphone or tablet — to do so), more than three-quarters (77%) of them said they plan to purchase tech gifts in a brick-and-mortar store. (Not surprisingly, households with children were significantly more likely to shop online than those without kids.) 

“When it comes to consumer electronics, people still like to touch and feel things in-store,” Powers says.

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