Advanced Television

CTA: TVs top Black Friday pick

November 29, 2016

A record number of American adults (57 per cent) shopped online or planned to shop online over Black Friday Week (Monday before Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday) – with the number of mobile (smartphone and tablet) consumers quickly approaching the number of those who use a desktop or laptop, according to data released today by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). The 2016 Post Black Friday Survey also finds it was a record year for tech with 61.7 million American adults (25 per cent), an increase over last year, that have bought or plan to buy tech products over the course of the holiday shopping week – and most will still do so in brick-and-mortar stores.

“The 2016 holiday shopping season is the tipping point for mobile shopping,” said Shawn DuBravac, chief economist, CTA. “Consumers are shifting increasingly to mobile shopping, due to higher ownership rates of mobile devices and increasing ease, comfort and convenience. Online deals permeated the entire Black Friday Week, with retailers often matching in-store deals and doing so earlier online. Yet, shopping for tech in stores remains important. Shoppers are still mostly heading to physical stores to touch, feel and experience tech devices before buying.”

Online and Mobile Shopping Surge

Overall, more people than ever – 135.9 million American adults (an increase of more than 6 per cent over last year) – shopped or plan to shop over the entire 2016 Black Friday Week.

Of those 135.9 million US adults, 76 per cent shopped in physical stores and 57 per cent shopped online. Additionally, of those that shopped online, 43 per cent did so via desktop or laptop, and 35 per cent used a mobile device (such as a smartphone or tablet) – an increase of seven percentage points and quickly approaching the number of desktop and laptop shoppers.

Top Tech for Black Friday

Consistent with CTA’s Pre-Black Friday predictions (2016 Pre Black Friday Survey), among the 61.7 million American adults who bought or plan to buy tech over the 2016 Black Friday Week, the top 10 tech purchases are:

  1. Televisions
  2. Tablets
  3. Smartphones
  4. Videogame consoles
  5. Tech accessories
  6. Laptops
  7. Headphones
  8. DVD/Blu-Ray Players
  9. Portable Bluetooth speakers
  10. Digital toys

“While perennial Black Friday tech strongholds such as televisions, videogame consoles and laptops dominated shoppers’ baskets, it was also a breakout year for emerging tech,” said DuBravac. “These nascent devices, including digital assistant devices, virtual reality and drones, landed on the front page of retailer’s Black Friday ads, and shopper’s baskets, for the first time this year.”

According to CTA’s overall holiday season outlook, total tech spending during the entire holiday shopping season will increase 3.1 per cent to reach a record $36.05 billion in 2016. CTA estimates total online holiday sales will grow by 16.4 per cent to $84.2 billion, while online sales through mobile devices will grow by 45.2 per cent to $20.1 billion.

According to the CTA, 49.4 million US adults (20 per cent) planned to shop on Cyber Monday, a record high for the shopping day.

Categories: Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Equipment, Markets, Research