New York – Retailers are cutting
prices and introducing high-profile products to grab their share of an
estimated $1.3 billion in Father’s Day CE sell-through.
CE spending for dads’ day is
expected to spike 13 percent year over year to an average ticket of $67.20,
according to a consumer intention survey by the National Retail Federation
(NRF) and BIGresearch.
“Spending on Dad has taken a
backseat for the past few years, but some kids and wives are planning to make up
for lost time this Father’s Day,” said NRF president/CEO Matthew Shay.
“Shoppers seem to be more excited when it comes to gift giving, an encouraging
sign for retailers, and dads, everywhere.”
Among discount chains, Walmart and
Sam’s Club are looking to lure Father’s Day shoppers by reducing the retail of
the 16GB iPhone 4 from $200, to $147, through June 21. The offer applies to
Verizon and AT&T models in both black and white.
Walmart has also rolled out Roku’s
XD set-top Internet streaming player to it supercenters “just in time for
Father’s Day,” said Roku founder/CEO Anthony Wood, after launching them online
last month, while Sam’s Club is offering additional CE discounts including:
- a 43-inch Samsung 720p plasma for $489;
-
LG’s 42-inch
LED smart TV for $949 and the 55-inch model for $1,457; and
-
Motorola’s
32GB Xoom Wi-Fi tablet below its street price of $599 at select locations.
Sam’s Club also carries the iPad 2
in 400 of its 600 stores, and remains the only warehouse club to offer Apple products
following a falling out between Costco and the vendor last year.
Sam’s is also revamping its fleet of
in-store wireless kiosks, which it now owns and operates after ending an
outsourcing relationship with RadioShack. The update includes additional brands
and service plans, and will be completed by the end of the month.
RadioShack itself has furthered its
assortment for Father’s Day with the June 10
th
rollout of Amazon’s Wi-Fi
and 3G Kindle, priced between $114 and $189, and is offering deals for dads on
Cruz’s 7-inch tablet ($179), Garmin’s 4.3-inch Nuvi ($90) and Nikon’s D3100
d-SLR with 55-200mm zoom lens ($800).
