Port Washington, N.Y. — Sales of consumer electronics through retail stores declined for the first time during Thanksgiving week, the NPD Group reported.
CE revenue at brick-and-mortar stores declined 8.4 percent from Sunday, Nov. 23 through Saturday, Nov. 29, the market research group said, citing tamer promotions, a dearth of exciting new products, and a migration to online shopping.
“This year there were no blowout sales to attract consumers,” said NPD industry analysis VP Stephen Baker. “The deals mimicked a typical weekend sale,” suggesting that Black Friday may become less a kick-off to the season than a showcase of retailers’ holiday plans, he observed.
There were, however, some bright spots for CE. Notebook sales grew nearly 19 percent in units and 9 percent in dollars during the week, while sales of LCD TVs above 30 inches increased 18 percent in units and 9 percent in dollars.
Several other categories, including GPS devices, plasma TVs and digital picture frames, saw growth in unit volume but declines in revenue due to steep price drops from last year.
CE sales during the comparable week rose 6.1 percent in 2007, 11.8 percent in 2006 and 15.4 perce
