NEW YORK — Distributors expect a hard-fought but good holiday selling season this year even though there is not one overwhelming “musthave” product in the marketplace.
Executives explained that many of the fundamentals in the marketplace are good. For instance, sales of 55-inch and larger TVs are strong, and the unilateral pricing policies put in place this year are holding. Inventories for TVs, as well as CE products across the board, seem to be in good shape.
Of course, those categories that have done well all year — headphones and soundbars, for instance — should continue to do well as the holidays approach. Several execs remarked that gamingrelated products and digital cameras are also showing some strength in the marketplace.
Distributors also see the debut of Windows 8 as helping mobile device sales, and the introduction by Apple of its new Lightning connector should spark sales in accessories.
The following is a “virtual roundtable” of responses to questions TWICE asked during the past couple of weeks.
