Sunnyvale, Calif. – Nearly a third of Black Friday CE shoppers said they’ll be braving
long lines and the wee hours in pursuit of an HDTV, while more than one out of
five hope to come home with a notebook computer.
That’s the word from Retrevo, a CE shopping and review site, which
polled more than 1,100 visitors between Nov. 13 and Nov. 22.
Some 30 percent said they
would be looking for a TV the day after Thanksgiving, followed by 22 percent
who said they would be searching for a deal on new laptop. Game consoles and
MP3 players were lowest on the shopping list, at 10 percent and 9 percent,
respectively, while GPS and Blu-ray Disc players were tied, with less than half
as many shoppers looking for these products as new TVs (14 percent).
Of those planning to shop
in stores Black Friday morning, 18 percent said they will spend more than
$1,000 on CE, compared with 22 percent of online shoppers with a comparable
budget. The majority of respondents (36 percent in stores, 30 percent online)
said they plan to spend $200 to $500 on CE items this Friday.
Only 18 percent of
respondents said they would hit the bricks, while 22 percent said they would
shop online. Reasons for avoiding brick-and-mortar stores ranged from “too much
trouble” (18 percent) to “can’t afford it” (12 percent), although only 4
percent cited a more limited selection than e-commerce sites.
Of those who did make the
early-morning trek to retail stores last year, 24 percent were able to snag the
sale item they sought, and 48 percent bought additional items beyond what they
were looking for, which bodes well for dealers.
But retailers should also
consider a possible backlash from disappointed customers who are unable to find
limited-quantity doorbusters. Nine percent of Black Friday shoppers said they
were unable to get the sales item they wanted last year and bought something
else instead, while 19 percent left empty handed.
Retrevo is a comparison
shopping site that tracks trends, pricing and demand for CE products online in
real time, and provides consumers with reviews, product specs, manuals and
purchase advice.
