Survey: Consumer electronics hot item this holiday, with Amazon and Walmart top destinations

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - It’s going to be a very good holiday for consumer electronics purchases, according to a survey by IHS Inc., with seven out of 10 U.S. consumers (68%) planning to buy consumer electronics during the 2014 holiday season.



In the “U.S. Holiday CE Consumer Survey,” more than one third of respondents (37%) plan to make at least one electronics purchase on Black Friday, 32% plan to purchase online during Cyber Monday, and 50% expect to buy electronics some other time in November or December. Amazon leads other retailers when it comes to planned holiday CE purchases this year, with 76% of survey respondents indicating they will purchase from the online retailer, followed by Walmart (73%), Best Buy (66%), and Target (63%).



“While the fourth quarter is always the most dynamic in terms of sales, mostly due to holiday spending, this year consumer confidence is very high,” said Veronica Gonzalez-Thayer, senior analyst for consumer electronics at IHS Technology. “Nearly half of respondents indicated a willingness to spend more than $500 on electronics for the holidays.”

U.S. consumers intending to buy electronics products during the holidays plan to spend an average of $769.



“Additionally, we’re seeing a shift in where consumers choose to spend money on CE devices during the holidays,” Gonzalez-Thayer said.



While just 15% of consumers plan to make their CE purchases only online, she said, the same percentage report they would purchase only in a brick-and-mortar store. However, nearly two thirds (67%) of consumers plan to purchase CE products both online and in-store.



TVs are especially prominent on holiday CE wish lists, with 34% of consumers planning to purchase at least one set during the holidays. The TV features that consumers want most, and are willing to pay more for, include smart TVs (34%) and 4K/UHD TVs (29%).