Firm Identifies Fastest-Growing Items Based on
Year-over-Year Sales
PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, December 6, 2000 –While PC desktop
sales may be lagging, a handful of technology categories are
experiencing sizzling triple digit sales growth. These and other top
sellers suggest happy holidays ahead for many technology marketers,
particularly those in the industry’s fastest growing categories, as
identified by leading marketing information provider NPD INTELECTÒ
Market Tracking.
"These products and others have shown dynamic growth, and
everything suggests that the trend will continue," commented NPD
INTELECT Director of Marketing George Meier. "Terms like digital and
portable have become hot button words for this holiday season. If a
product is digital or portable, it will likely hit consumers’ sweet
spot. If a product is digital and portable, marketers could face
difficulty in keeping up with consumer demand. Another magic word
continues to be 'Internet'. Products that aid in storage and
connectivity are likely strong performers," Meier said.
According to NPD INTELECT Market Tracking the plasma flat-panel
screen TV was the fastest growing category. Although unit sales
remain relatively low, purchasing shot up 263% in January to October
2000 compared to the same time period last year. And sales are
increasing even as average price has increased to over $12,000.
Sales of DVD players were up 119% in unit terms, while their
average selling price decreased 29.5%, which is likely to further
spur sales.
Devices that are able to access the Internet, namely personal
digital assistants and cellular phones, also have shown sizeable
sales gains in 2000. According to NPD INTELECT Market Tracking,
personal digital assistants and Web-enabled cellular phones grew
164% and 62% respectively in unit sales.
While PCs aren’t selling well this season, consumers are focusing
on PC peripherals. PC cameras and digital still cameras, recordable-rewritable
CD drives, and network devices have seen strong growth through the
beginning of the holiday season.
Expected Big Sellers for Holiday 2000
Unit Sales by Category
|
Category |
Unit Sales
Jan. – Oct. 1999 |
Unit Sales
Jan. – Oct. 2000 |
Percentage
Change |
|
Plasma Flat-Panel
TV Screens |
1,119 |
4,060 |
263% |
|
PC Cameras |
425,034 |
1,369,740 |
222% |
|
PDAs |
790,417 |
2,084,779 |
164% |
|
DVD Players |
1,411,469 |
3,095,388 |
119% |
|
Digital Still Cameras |
1,094,096 |
2,315,958 |
112% |
|
Recordable-Rewritable CD Drives |
1,095,719 |
1,930,721 |
76% |
|
Network Devices |
898,575 |
1,498,543 |
67% |
|
Direct Broadcast Satellite |
1,335,548 |
2,206,687 |
65% |
|
CD Recorders |
96,170 |
155,347 |
62% |
|
Cellular Phones |
1,536,559 |
2,486,827 |
62% |
Source: NPD INTELECT Ò
Market Tracking
Expected Big Sellers for Holiday 2000
Average Price by Category
|
Category |
Average Price
Oct. 1999 |
Average Price
Oct. 2000 |
Percentage
Change |
|
Plasma Flat Panel
TV Screens |
$10,568.78 |
$12,414.39 |
17.5% |
|
PC Cameras |
$102.56 |
$75.06 |
-26.81% |
|
PDAs |
$339.08 |
$292.09 |
-13.86% |
|
DVD Players |
$331.70 |
$233.97 |
-29.5% |
|
Digital Still Cameras |
$621.99 |
$509.48 |
-18.05% |
|
Recordable-Rewritable CD Drives |
$220.75 |
$214.32 |
-2.91% |
|
Network Devices |
$221.96 |
$181.69 |
-18.14% |
|
Direct Broadcast Satellite |
$150.06 |
$135.78 |
-13.4% |
|
CD Recorders |
$496.67 |
$439.34 |
-11.5% |
|
Cellular Phones |
$111.39 |
$119.39 |
7.2% |
Source: NPD INTELECTÒ
Market Tracking
According to NPD INTELECT Market Tracking, several relatively new
categories are also selling especially well and are expected to
continue to do so through the year's end. Sales of MP3 players,
personal video recorders, and digital televisions are all up
significantly. MP3 players reached a monthly selling pace of almost
19,000 units in October 2000. Personal video recorders reached more
than 9,000 units. Digital television sets, with an average retail
price of $3,000, reached a selling pace of 31,000 units in October
2000.
|
