PC Returns Remain Highest Within 15 Days

By TWICE Staff On Dec 19 2011 - 6:01am

REDMOND, WASH. — Computers and computer peripherals continue to be among the consumer electronics products that consumers most commonly return within 15 days of purchase, according to Siras, product registration, return validation and lifecycle tracking services provider.

 

 

LG Sponsors N.Y. Pop-Up Store

By Steve Smith On Nov 21 2011 - 6:01am

NEW YORK – LG Electronics USA gave consumers a hands-on experience with its LW5600 Cinema 3D LED HDTV earlier this month at a temporary pop-up store in lower Manhattan.

Sponsored in part by LG Display and LG Electronics and produced by CNET, a division of CBS Interactive, the “CNET Gotham” pop-up store was located at the Openhouse Gallery at 201 Mulberry St., where it showcased CE products for the holidays from Nov. 9 through Nov. 13.

Formula For A Hassle-Free Holiday

By Alan Wolf On Nov 7 2011 - 6:01am

MINNEAPOLIS – Best Buy has upped the seasonal stakes by offering a host of Christmas-time initiatives designed to deliver a “hassle-free” holiday.

“For holiday we do see a bunch of people that we don’t see as broadly as the rest of the year,” observed Americas president Mike Vitelli. “We said let’s make it as simple as possible for them.”

Among the enhancements:

Services, Market Intelligence Are Best Buy's Not-So-Secret Sauce

By Alan Wolf On Nov 7 2011 - 6:01am

MINNEAPOLIS – Best Buy’s special forces equivalents, Geek Squad and its customer insights group, play a critical role in differentiating the company from online competitors while keeping it relevant to a new generation of consumers.

Best Buy: A Brief History Through Time

By TWICE Staff On Nov 7 2011 - 6:01am

1966: Richard Schulze opens Sound of Music stereo store in St. Paul, Minn.

1981: The chain hits on a low-price, no-frills format following a fire sale at a tornado-ravaged store

1983: Sound of Music changes name to Best Buy; opens first superstore

1985: Brian Dunn joins Best Buy as sales associate

1989: Best Buy employs “grab-and-go” merchandising within a non-commissioned, warehouse-style environment; introduces yellow tag logo

Best Buy Cutting Energy Consumption In Stores

By Alan Wolf On Nov 7 2011 - 6:01am

MINNEAPOLIS – Best Buy plans to implement a new automated energy-management system (AEMS) in all of its U.S. retail stores that is expected to reduce the company’s energy costs and carbon outputs by 15 percent within three years.

The chain will begin implementing the system in about 300 locations by Jan. 31, and expects to have it rolled out to all 1,105 flagship stores by mid-2012.

What's In Store, And Online, For Black Friday

By Alan Wolf On Nov 21 2011 - 6:01am

NEW YORK – Black Friday arrived earlier and with more furor than ever before this year.

While the day after Thanksgiving has long been a competition for retailers and consumers alike, the prolonged economic downturn, a dismal third-quarter for CE, and massive shifts in where and how customers shop have raised the stakes ever higher.

'Groupon Effect' On Tap For Black Friday; Customizing Is King For CES

By Lisa Johnston On Nov 21 2011 - 6:01am

NEW YORK — Black Friday is not only approaching, it’s already begun. In fact, if you go by the retailers’ ads, it never really ended last year.

The Consumer Electronics Association’s Steve Koenig, industry analysis director, and Shawn DuBravac, chief economist and research director, addressed a crowd at the annual CES Unveiled, held here earlier this month, detailing the trends expected for the 2011 holiday season and the 2012 International CES.

CE Holiday Purchases To Rise 16%: Conference Board

By Alan Wolf On Nov 21 2011 - 6:01am

NEW YORK – U.S. households are expected to spend 16 percent more on CE and software gift purchases this season over last.

According to a Nielsen consumer survey conducted last month for the Conference Board, a not-for-profit research organization, CE will enjoy the secondbiggest bump over the holidays behind toys and games, whose intended purchases are up 16.6 percent.

NFM Set On Entering Texas In 2015

By Alan Wolf On Nov 21 2011 - 6:01am

OMAHA, NEB. – Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM) may be heading to The Lone Star State.

The 74-year-old CE, appliance and home-furnishings emporium is planning to build a $1.5 billion, 430-acre mixed-use complex in the North Dallas suburb of The Colony that would house stores, movie theaters, a convention center and its own two-story, 1.8 million-square-foot retail, warehouse and office facility.