Portable MP3 Sales, Average Prices Rising
By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 12/22/2003
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. — Consumers are buying more MP3 portables than ever before, and they're willing to pay more for them, NPD Techworld found.
At the retail level in 2003, high-double-digit growth rates continued unabated in units and dollars through the third quarter, according to NPD consumer surveys. Average prices were also on the rise, the surveys found, presumably because of the proliferation of more expensive hard-disc-drive (HDD) models, including Apple's latest iPods.
During the third quarter, sales rose 83.6 percent in units and 85.4 percent in dollars compared to the year-ago period. The average price rose 1% to $169.11. In the second quarter, sales were up 83.4 percent in units and 110.8 percent in dollars on a 14.9 percent gain in the average retail to $195.36. First-quarter sales were up 40.8 percent in units and 45.6 percent in dollars, with the average price rising 3.4 percent to $171.11.
Last year, fourth-quarter 2002 sales were up 59.4 percent in units and 47.4 percent in dollars, but the average price was down 7.5 percent from the year-ago period to $155.08. Third-quarter 2002 sales were up in units by 88.3 percent by 91.8 percent in dollars, and so were average prices, which rose 1.9 percent to $167.48.
MP3 Quarterly ChangeConsumer Survey Data compared to same period in the previous year
| Units | Dollars | Average Price | ||
| Jul'02-Sep'02 | 88.3% | 91.8% | $167.48 | 1.9% |
| Aug'02-Oct'02 | 69.7% | 99.3% | $174.66 | 17.5% |
| Sep'02-Nov'02 | 61.1% | 66.4% | $165.73 | 3.3% |
| Oct'02-Dec'02 | 59.4% | 47.4% | $155.08 | -7.5% |
| Nov'02-Jan'03 | 55.3% | 38.5% | $155.04 | -10.8% |
| Dec'02-Feb'03 | 55.8% | 44.0% | $156.70 | -7.5% |
| Jan'03-Mar'03 | 40.8% | 45.6% | $171.11 | 3.4% |
| Feb'03-Apr'03 | 55.5% | 63.4% | $169.16 | 5.1% |
| Mar'03-May'03 | 71.2% | 93.3% | $186.97 | 12.9% |
| Apr'03-Jun'03 | 83.4% | 110.8% | $195.36 | 14.9% |
| May'03-Jul'03 | 84.6% | 123.7% | $200.10 | 21.1% |
| Jun'03-Aug'03 | 87.5% | 96.0% | $176.04 | 4.5% |
| Jul'03-Sep'03 | 83.6% | 85.4% | $169.11 | 1.0% |
| Source: NPD Group © TWICE 2003 | ||||
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