eBay's Donahoe: Mobile Apps Revolutionizing Retail

By Alan Wolf On Jan 30 2012 - 6:01am

LAS VEGAS — Smartphone shopping apps will continue to radically alter the way consumers shop and pay, but are also providing brick-and-mortar retailers with new tools to drive traffic to their stores.

That was the message presented by eBay president/ CEO John Donahoe in his keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Association’s (CEA) annual 2012 Leaders In Technology (LIT) dinner, held last month at the Wynn hotel during 2012 International CES.

 

 

Canalys: U.S. iPhone Shipments Soar

By Joseph Palenchar On Feb 13 2012 - 6:01am

PALO ALTO, CALIF. – U.S. smartphone shipments soared 38.1 percent in the fourth quarter to 30.8 million and 42.9 percent to 100.5 million in calendar 2011, led during both periods by rising sales of Apple’s iOS-based smartphones, a Canalys study found.

Though Apple smartphone growth outpaced Android growth, the Android OS nonetheless maintained its leading share of smartphone shipments during both periods, the study found.

NPD: First-Time Smartphone Buyers Skew Heavily To Android

By Joseph Palenchar On Feb 13 2012 - 6:01am

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. – U.S. consumers purchased more Androidbased smartphones than Apple smartphones in the fourth quarter, and among first-time smartphone buyers, the preference for Android was even stronger, an NPD Group survey of consumers found.

Nonetheless, Apple remained the best-selling handset brand (among smartphones and feature phones combined) for the fourth consecutive quarter in 2011’s fourth quarter and sold the nation’s three best-selling handsets during the period, NPD found.

ProSource Pushes For Profitability At Annual CES Soiree

By Alan Wolf On Jan 23 2012 - 6:01am

LAS VEGAS – ProSource, the specialty A/V arm of the BrandSource buying group, held its annual International CES bash at Bally’s on the eve of the show.

The dealer organization, comprised of the Progressive Retailers Organization (PRO Group) and Home Entertainment Source (HES), used the occasion to announce PRO’s new partnership with eBay (see TWICE, Jan. 10), and renewed its call for margin relief.

La Curacao Joins NATM

By Alan Wolf On Jan 23 2012 - 6:01am

LOS ANGELES – The La Curacao department store chain has joined the NATM buying group as its 12th member and first California-based dealer.

CE Holiday Sales Fall 6% On Softness In GPS, Digital Imaging: NPD

By Alan Wolf On Jan 23 2012 - 6:01am

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. – Retail sales of mature CE categories fell 5.9 percent to about $9.5 billion during the Nov. 20 through Dec. 24 holiday period, The NPD Group reported.

The dollar-volume data, collected from select retailers at point-of-sale, excludes cellphones, tablets, e-readers and video games.

But the report revealed that the core TV and PC categories dipped only 4 percent in dollars and were essentially flat in unit volume despite marketplace weakness last year.

WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED

By TWICE Staff On Jan 23 2012 - 6:01am

LAS VEGAS – Contestants vie for free iPad 2s at Worth Ave. Group’s “Whack-a-Phone” game during International CES. The insurance company sells CE coverage direct to consumers with unlimited annual claims.

CES Sets Records, Predicts Milestone Sales

By Steve Smith On Jan 23 2012 - 6:01am

LAS VEGAS — International 2012 set attendance records and its owner/producer the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is predicting a record-setting year in factory sales in the U.S. and worldwide.

Those are but two of many major developments that occurred during the show which was held Jan. 10-13, here.

Consumer Confidence Up: CEA

By Doug Olenick On Jan 30 2012 - 6:01am

ARLINGTON, VA. – Consumer confidence in the overall economy is at a fouryear high, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Index of Consumer Expectations (ICE).

The CEA ICE hit 177.3 in January, up almost four points from December and two points higher than January 2011. The ICE measures consumer expectations about the broader economy.

U.S. Tablet Ownership Doubled During Holidays

By Doug Olenick On Jan 30 2012 - 6:01am

NEW YORK – The 2011 holiday season saw the number of tablet owners in the United States almost double.

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, the number of Americans owning a tablet jumped from 10 percent, to 19 percent, between mid- December and early January. E-book readers also fared well, with ownership vaulting from 18 percent, to 29 percent, during the same time perioed.