Consumers seek iPods, digital cameras, MP3 players
Everywhere consumers look – whether it’s the news, promotions or surveys – all signs point to Apple’s iPod Nano being the biggest seller this holiday shopping season.
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But according to one study conducted by International Communications Research, the popular MP3 player will likely be trumped by another consumer technology.
According to the survey, commissioned by Framingham, Mass.-based Staples Inc., digital cameras will likely outsell MP3 players, cell phones and personal organizers during the shopping season.
With nearly 30 percent of the 1,000 survey respondents choosing the cameras, Staples spokeswoman Deborah Hohler said the items remain popular, with people using digital cameras either for recreational use or in fields of work such as real estate.
The company expects memory cards and other accessories including portable printer docks being big sellers this year, she said.
“People are either getting into digital imaging or they are upgrading now that prices have gone down and performance has gone up,” Hohler said.
Palm Pilots and digital organizers also remain popular, Hohler said. As new technologies emerged, the developers of the organizers integrated new features, with newer models including built-in MP3 players.
Similar to digital imaging, Hohler said GPS technology is benefiting this year from a reduction in prices. Staples is anticipating a jump in sales of models such as the Fine Drive 400, which is selling for $399.
Last year, many of the models of GPS technology were retailing for around $1,000, Hohler said.
Wireless products – including networking hardware, cards for laptop computers and mice – are also expected to be popular.
On the personal entertainment side, the Consumer Electronics Association, projecting revenues from electronics sales will jump 9 percent this holiday season, said MP3 players are topping the wish lists for adults and teens alike. In recent surveys, 28 percent of adults are looking for the devices, while 17 percent of teenagers want one.
Both figures represent a 9-percent increase of CEA’s 2004 survey.
The Shopping in America Holiday 2005 survey, which asks consumers about specific brand-name products, is more optimistic about MP3 players.
Of the 3,780 people interviewed in the survey, 34.5 percent of all shoppers said they would like to receive an iPod Nano this year. Females, according to the survey, are more enthusiastic about the gift, with 39.4 percent looking for an iPod, opposed to 26.6 percent of men.
Following MP3 players, CEA’s survey said the adult survey respondents were next looking to receive Plasma TVs, digital cameras, laptop PCs, big-screen TVs and video game systems.
Aside from MP3 players, teens were looking to receive video game consoles, computers and cell phones.
The Shopping in America survey lists the Microsoft Xbox 360 as the next big gift, with 21.2 percent of survey respondents looking for the new video game system released last week.
Other popular items included Plasma and high-definition TVs, which are sought by 13.7 percent of those surveyed.
