Move over peace and happiness. Clothes and tablet computers have taken over the top spots on holiday wish lists this year, according to a survey released Tuesday.
The Consumer Electronics Association, a trade group representing gadget makers, released its annual Holiday Purchase Patterns Study on Tuesday at a conference in San Diego.
The survey gathers information about the things consumers want for the holidays, and how much they’re expecting to spend.
This year, clothes and tablet computers topped the list. They were followed by laptops, peace and happiness and money in the top five.
Last year, peace and happiness ranked first, followed by laptops, tablets, clothes and e-readers, said Jim Barry, a spokesman for the Consumer Electronics Association.
The survey was conducted in September. Overall, consumers plan to spend on average $769 on gifts this year, up 3 percent from last year.
The Consumer Electronics Association, which puts on the giant Consumer Electronics Show each January and represents thousands of technology companies, held an industry forum in San Diego this week focused heavily on mobility – particularly connected consumer devices and up and coming fields such as wireless health and the wireless wallet.
More than 175 million connected consumer electronics devices were sold in the U.S. last year, said Barry. A vast majority of those were smart phones. But other devices such as connected cameras, connected TVs, tablets and laptops also contributed.
“All of these mobile devices are now the drivers of the consumer electronics industry, having surpassed TVs, which have been the industry driver for 60 years,” said Barry.
The survey found that shoppers expect to spend about one third of the holiday gift budget on consumer electronics. Looking at only the hottest electronic gadgets, tablets rank first, followed by laptops, TVs, e-readers and video game consoles.
"After months of depressed consumer confidence, individuals are indicating they plan to spend this holiday and are looking for technology, as more adults will buy consumer electronics as a gift this year as compared to last year," said Shawn DuBravac, the association’s chief economist and director of research. |
