Market analysis firm NPD has released its figures for consumers’ 2009 holiday season spending, and finds that overall purchasing was down less than one percent overall compared to 2008, meaning the current economic climate did little to hamper consumers’ overall holiday spending. However, the season was filled with ups and downs, with three of the season’s five weeks actually being down, and the busiest week being the week ending December 5 (which includes Black Friday) accounting for only 15 percent of the season’s sales. However, the last week of the season accounted for 22 percent of all sales.
“The dynamics of the holiday season changed this year; the holiday season started before Black Friday as retailers ran Black Friday-like sales throughout November,” said NPD’ Vp of industry analysis Stephen Baker, in a statement. “That move may have lessened the Black Friday hype for consumers, but the increase during the final week of the season is a sign that consumers either went back out or waited it out to get the best deal.
At the top of consumers’ technology buying lists for the season were notebook and desktop PCs, camcorders, and Blu-ray players, all of which saw increases of 25 percent or more (68 percent, for notebook PCs) compared to 2008. However, Blu-ray players actually brought in less money in 2009 than in 2008; so did flat-panel TVs, which shipped 16 percent more units but saw a 12 percent decline in the overall amount of revenue they generated. In terms of unit volume, MP3 players were still at the top of the list, despite lower unit volumes and dwindling sale prices.
