Port Washington, N.Y. – Back-to-school sales turned out much
better than the first half of 2011, when retail notebook sales in the U.S.
declined more than 12 percent over the prior year.
According to The NPD Group, during the two-month
back-to-school period (July through August), Windows notebook computer sales
declined 4 percent over the prior year, while August 2011 sales, propelled by a
late surge in volume, posted an increase of nearly 4 percent.
“The sequential results from NPD’s back-to-school
point-of-sale (POS) data indicates that after a shortfall early in the year
that was mostly related to the difficult comparisons to the binge of buying
after the release of Windows 7, the Windows notebook market remains solid,”
said Stephen Baker, industry analysis VP for NPD. “The last two weeks of August
are the most important period for back to school buying, and those weeks saw
more than an 8 percent increase over last year in retail sales.”
A prime driver of the sales volume increase was a drop in
average selling prices. During July and August 2011, ASPs for Windows notebooks
were $477, which is a 7 percent decline from the same period last year. The
drop in ASPs resulted in a record 65 percent of all notebook sales occurring in
products sold for less than $500. Sales in this crucial segment grew 12 percent
versus last year, while sales results for windows notebooks above $500 fell 23
percent.
“A strong promotional environment led consumers into the
stores over the last part of the back to school season,” Baker said. “The
positive consumer response to aggressive notebook pricing, despite the
continued demand for tablet computers, likely points towards a highly
promotional holiday season ahead.”
