Not A 'Lazy, Hazy' Summer
By Steve Smith -- TWICE, 8/3/2009
The last week of July and the first week of August are considered to be the middle of the long, hot — or in the case of the Northeast this year, wet — summer.
More people are on vacation on these weeks, there are fewer riders on subways and commuter trains, and even traffic is less packed during the rush hour on the nation's highways and freeways.
Even the drumbeat of product introductions and consumer promotions for CE usually dim under the summer sun.
But Summer 2009 has not been in the “lazy, hazy days” variety that many of us may long for.
There seems to have been an explosion of product and consumer promo debuts, news about changes at retail, and even changes with International CES, which is set for Jan. 7-10, 2010, in Las Vegas. (See p. 1.)
For instance, there have been product debuts of all shapes and sizes in a wide variety of categories during the past two weeks from (in no particular order) LG, Niles, JVC, T-Mobile, Sony, Logitech, Runco, Siemens, Onkyo, Samsung, Alpine, Pioneer, VTech, Panasonic, Sonos, Toshiba ... among many others. (Check this issue and www.TWICE.com for complete coverage.)
And retailers haven't been quiet either. Microsoft has given details on its first two retail locations (see www.twice.com) and Sears has decided to move its “Blue Crew” that has helped its major appliance business, and bring it over to the CE side of the fence.
All of this news is on top of the traditional quarterly report season that will continue into next week. (See pgs. 1, 12 and 29.) The results are a mixed bag with many manufacturers and retailers still feeling the ill-effects of the recession.
Getting back to the product introductions and changes at retail, all this is on the eve of the back-to-school season, buying group meetings that are on the calendar for August and September, and the CEDIA Expo that takes place next month.
For my two cents, all this activity is great news. It shows the industry is not letting the recession make it more cautious, and it isn't running scared. The recession is bottoming out right now, but unemployment is still high. Still few are putting their collective heads in the sand.
Manufacturers still see the need to innovate and bring new and exciting products and technologies to the marketplace. And, as we have seen this spring and summer, retailers are tweaking their store operations, with some even deciding on expansion.
Technological and, dare I say, business innovation have always been the lifeblood of the electronics/appliance industry. Standing still is never an option, especially during economic times like these.
But recession or no, you have to take a few days off, if not a full-fledged vacation. So I'm going to follow my own advice and take this week off to recharge my batteries.
Most of my TWICE colleagues will be around, so follow us online at www.TWICE.com for breaking news and look for our next print issue on Aug. 24.
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