Electronics were among the most purchased items over the Thanksgiving weekend, with nearly half of all shoppers buying technology, according to interim results from the Black Friday Weekend survey by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and CARAVAN.
The survey showed that nearly 118 million Americans will shop this weekend (Thursday through Monday).
According to the survey, consumer electronics (CE) trailed only clothes as the most popular gifts purchased this weekend. Nearly half of all shoppers (48 percent) bought or will buy CE from Thursday through Monday. The survey examined shopping habits, intentions and expectations from Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24, through Cyber Monday, Monday, November 27. More than 60 percent of shoppers were purchasing clothes during that time frame. Toys are also a popular gift this weekend, the survey found.
CEA's Annual CE Holiday Purchase Patterns Study showed the average consumer will spend an all-time high of $246 on electronics gifts this year, up six percent from last year and representing one -third of all gift spending.
The Black Friday Weekend survey found the most popular day to shop was Friday, although the entire weekend, including Thursday and Monday, was or will be busy shopping days. Through Friday, nearly 118 million people reported they had shopped on Thursday or Friday or had plans to shop Saturday, Sunday or Monday. Black Friday and Saturday were the most popular (intended) days to shop with 27 percent and 25 percent, respectively, of individuals shopping on those days. Thanksgiving Day was also popular, with 11 percent shopping on Thursday.
Consistent with CEA's earlier holiday forecast, the Black Friday Weekend survey showed the most popular electronics purchased/planned to purchase this weekend were:
- Digital Cameras
- Video game consoles
- Accessories (such as cables and cases)
- Televisions
- Notebook/laptop computers
- Smartphones
- MP3 players
- e-Readers
- Tablet computers
Mass merchants were again the most popular place to shop during the Black Friday weekend. Roughly 77 percent of those who had already shopped, as of Friday, reported shopping at a mass merchant. When including individuals' shopping intentions for the rest of the weekend, that number rises to 81 percent. Department stores, electronics stores and online retailers were also popular shopping destinations. Nearly half of shoppers (46 percent) who bought electronics purchased their CE device online.
Most consumers were happy with the deals they found this weekend. Of those who shopped, 69 percent rated the deals and sales as good or excellent. When it comes to electronics, 61 percent said the deals and sales were good or excellent. More consumers also said the deals they found in stores were better than online, with 60 percent rating in-store deals as good or excellent versus 35 percent for online.
ComScore also reported that for the holiday season-to-date, $12.7 billion has been spent online, marking a 15-percent increase versus the corresponding days last year. Black Friday (November 25) saw $816 million in online sales, making it the heaviest online spending day to date in 2011 and representing a 26-percent increase versus Black Friday 2010. Thanksgiving Day (November 24), while traditionally a lighter day for online holiday spending, achieved a strong 18-percent increase to $479 million.