Small appliances, big sales
According to NPD’s 2018 Holiday Purchase Intentions Study, more consumers planned to start and finish their holiday shopping over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend (Thursday through Sunday) this year than last year. These shopping intentions appear to have translated into an increase in sales as well. NPD's U.S. weekly point-of-sale results for key general merchandise categories reveal that dollar sales over the third week of November 2018 (week ending 11/24/18), which included Thanksgiving and Black Friday, exceeded 2017 results by almost 4%.
Small home appliances and athletic footwear each saw double-digit dollar growth compared to last year. Cookers and specialty cleaning appliances (i.e. robotic vacuums) were the biggest sources of small home appliance growth. In athletic footwear, boots and the sport lifestyle footwear segment drove this week’s gains.
Another highlight from the week: Technology products drove overall dollar gains this week, and the categories behind this growth were tablets and stereo headphones.
“Thanksgiving week showed much of what we expect for holiday but there are twists and turns ahead as it also showed retail can no longer depend on historical patterns,” said Marshal Cohen, NPD’s chief industry advisor. “Self-gifters and deal-hunters got what they wanted, but there is also a shift in gifting rules from romantic to practical.”
Top growth categories of the week, in order of absolute growth:
Tablets & e-readers
Home Environment Appliances
Stereo Headphones
Small Kitchen Appliances
Sport Leisure Footwear
Dolls
Smart Entry Technology Products
Outdoor Footwear
Security & Monitoring Products
Women’s Apparel
Small home appliances and athletic footwear each saw double-digit dollar growth compared to last year. Cookers and specialty cleaning appliances (i.e. robotic vacuums) were the biggest sources of small home appliance growth. In athletic footwear, boots and the sport lifestyle footwear segment drove this week’s gains.
Another highlight from the week: Technology products drove overall dollar gains this week, and the categories behind this growth were tablets and stereo headphones.
“Thanksgiving week showed much of what we expect for holiday but there are twists and turns ahead as it also showed retail can no longer depend on historical patterns,” said Marshal Cohen, NPD’s chief industry advisor. “Self-gifters and deal-hunters got what they wanted, but there is also a shift in gifting rules from romantic to practical.”
Top growth categories of the week, in order of absolute growth:
Tablets & e-readers
Home Environment Appliances
Stereo Headphones
Small Kitchen Appliances
Sport Leisure Footwear
Dolls
Smart Entry Technology Products
Outdoor Footwear
Security & Monitoring Products
Women’s Apparel