Doorbuster sales and other special promotions on major appliances helped spur significant sell-through during the week of Black Friday.
According to market research firm The NPD Group, here, unit sales rose 8 percent and dollar volume increased 12 percent at retail Thanksgiving week. What’s more, unit sales for the seven-day period accounted for 21 percent of total fourth-quarter white-goods revenue to date.
The data are based on point-of-sale information collected from a sample of leading national and regional majap chains including Sears, Lowe’s and Best Buy,
Anticipation of the Black Friday boost helped send November wholesale shipments solidly into positive territory for the first time in years (see story, p. 110).
“Retailers took advantage of the holidays to move inventory” with discounts driven by both dealers and manufacturers, NPD home appliances director Mark Delaney told TWICE.
Broken out by category, refrigerators (excluding compacts) led the pack with a 39 percent increase in units and a 35 percent spurt in dollars, while dishwashers followed with a 26 percent gain in units and 23 percent spike in dollars year over year.
The report showed that refrigerators were also the top-selling majap category of the season, representing 30 percent of fourth-quarter sales to date, up from 25 percent in 2008.
Laundry products were also in demand Black Friday week, with washers accounting for 24 percent of majap sales and dryers comprising 20 percent.
