It’s do-or-die time for dealers and vendors looking to make up lost momentum after an epic East Coast blizzard blitzed Super Bowl TV sales last month.
The stakes are high: According to a FatWallet consumer poll, more folks planned to buy a TV during the Super Bowl sales period than Black Friday, Cyber Monday and December combined — with nearly half of the respondents looking to purchase their first 4K UHD TV.
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Yet retailers are still on back order for some of the most select 4K models, particularly curved sets, following a tight holiday season. As hhgregg president/CEO Dennis May noted last week on an earnings call, “We’re certainly in better shape. If you walk into an hhgregg store, you’d see a fine assortment of 4K TVs. But some of those holes in our in-stock are still continuing.
“If there’s an impact anywhere,” he continued, “it would probably be in your ASPs [average selling prices]; maybe you could have [stepped the customer up] further up within the product line. But we’re really in good shape around the Super Bowl promotions — we’ve got a great assortment and we got a great assortment in stock, so we’re ready to go.”
Indeed, the lead item in hhgregg’s pre-Super Bowl circular this week is a curved, 55-inch 4K UHD smart TV, model UN55JU6700, that’s on sale for $1,098. Opening price point for large-screen 4K is a 55-inch Seiki for $450 (model SE55UGT), while the step includes two LG pieces: a 55-inch 4K UHD smart TV with webOS for $700 (model 55UF6430), and a 65-inch version (model 65UF6450) for $1,000.
Here’s a look at what other retailers are promoting before the Big Game:
Best Buy
*a 49-inch Sony 4K UHD TV for $800 (a $200 savings);
*a 55-inch Sony 4K UHD TV for $1,200 (a $400 savings);
*a 55-inch Samsung 4K UHD TV for $1,000 (a $600 savings); and
*a 65-inch Samsung 4K UHD TV for $2,000 (a $1,100 savings)
Walmart
*a 50-inch Samsung 4K UHD TV for $848, after limited special buy at $698;
*a 50-inch Vizio 4K UHD TV for $598; and
*a 55-inch LG 4K UHD TV for $698 (a $300 savings).
Other Walmart sale items include a 32-inch Sony HDTV for $198 (on special buy); a Vizio 38-inch soundbar with wireless subwoofer for $138; and a Roku 3 streaming device for $98, including $5 Vudu credit.
P.C. Richard & Son
The regional CE, majap and bedding chain is offering a three-in-one Samsung TV bundle that includes a 65-inch 4K UHD smart TV (model UN65JU6400) for $1,500 plus two “free” Samsung HDTVs in 40-inch and 28-inch screen sizes, for a savings of $1,160, or 43 percent off.
P.C. is also promoting an exclusive LG two-for-one bundle that provides a free 32-inch HDTV with the $1,000 purchase of a 60-inch 4K UHD smart TV (model 60UF7300).
