Tech buying peaked during Black Friday weekend, says new CTA survey

By Paul Ploumis (ScrapMonster Author)

November 30, 2015 02:37:21 AM

SPOKANE (Scrap Monster): According to a new report released by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the tech buying that started on Monday before Thanksgiving has peaked during the Black Friday weekend. The 2015Post Black Friday Survey indicates that an estimated 56.9 million American adults have bought or plan to buy tech products during the week.

Online and mobile device shopping played a critical role in driving shopping traffic this Thanksgiving holiday week, among the 125 million Americans planning to shop throughout the week. A combined 85 percent of those who shopped did so online or via mobile. The survey noted that number of online and mobile shoppers is quickly approaching the number of in-store shoppers this year. Of those who shopped Black Friday Week 2015, 74 percent shopped online and 57 percent shopped using a mobile device such as a smart phone or tablet.

CTA estimates that Americans will spend $40 billion over the entire 2015 Thanksgiving shopping week. Consumers who shopped spent an average of $319 – a 14 percentage point decrease over 2014. In total, 27 percent of U.S. adults shopped on Black Friday (up from 24 percent in 2014) and 10 percent shopping on Thanksgiving Day (down from 14 percent last year).

The top tech products that are likely to be purchased by consumers during the Black Friday Week are smart phones, televisions, tablets, tech accessories, laptops, video game consoles, DVD/Blu-ray Disc players, headphones, fitness activity trackers and digital media streaming devices.

According to CTA, total tech spending during the entire holiday shopping season will increase 2.3 percent to reach a record $34.2 billion in 2015.

The CTA report is based on the findings of a quantitative study administered via telephonic interviews conducted between November 27 and 28, 2015. The CTA, formerly the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), is the trade association representing the $285 billion U.S. consumer technology industry.