A new report from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), formerly the Consumer Electronics Association, shows that nearly 40 percent of Americans are planning to purchase technology products or accessories during Black Friday week.
According to the report, a record-setting 91 million out of the 155 million U.S. consumers planning to shop over the Thanksgiving holiday said they expect to purchase tech items sometime between the Monday before Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. Nearly 70 percent of the 155 million shoppers said they will be making purchases online, with 26 percent specifying that they plan to shop on Cyber Monday. More than half of consumers said they will likely use a smartphone or tablet while shopping.
“Black Friday is no longer just a one-day holiday exclusively centered on in-store shopping,” said CTA’s chief economist and senior director of research Shawn DuBravac. “Black Friday now spans the entire week, with online and mobile shopping playing an important role as consumers increasingly rely on tech to complete their holiday shopping.”
Among the items at the top of consumers’ lists are tablets (#3), smartphones (#5) and smart watches (#10), the report found, leaving plenty of room for carriers and retailers to cash in. Other top tech items on the wishlist include videogame consoles, televisions, laptops, headphones, DVD and Blu-ray players, digital cameras and digital toys.
DuBravac said consumers are expected to show a particularly “strong interest” in both digital toys and smartwatches as the devices become more popular.
