PRESS RELEASE:
ARLINGTON, VA– For the first time ever, more consumers say they’ll use smartphones (61 percent) to do their online holiday shopping compared to any other device, including laptops (54 percent) and desktop computers (46 percent), during the month of November, according to new research released today by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). CTA’s 2017 Pre-Black Friday Survey also finds that one in five online U.S. adult shoppers (19 percent) plans to use voice-activated smart speakers such as an Amazon Echo or Google Home to shop online during November.
“November 2017 marks a seismic shift in when and how American adults are shopping for holiday gifts,” said Steve Koenig, senior director of market research, CTA. “Not only will the use of smartphones eclipse laptops and desktops for online holiday shopping for the first time, but this year also marks the introduction of what we consider to be a new sales channel. Voice-activated smart speakers will be a popular gift to give this year and play a much larger role in the shopping process. This season, voice shopping joins the channel mix – along with in-store, online and mobile – that shoppers will use to learn about deals and buy their favorite gifts.”
Additionally, CTA research shows that 2017 will be the first year more Americans will shop on Cyber Monday – across all channels – than Black Friday. Among those planning to shop during November, the most popular timeframes include:
- remaining days in November after Cyber Monday (57 percent)
- Cyber Monday (51 percent)
- early to mid-November, before Thanksgiving week (44 percent)
- Black Friday (38 percent)
Tech will be the second most frequently purchased type of gift (56 percent) – closely following clothing and accessories (63 percent) while surpassing toys (43 percent). Additionally, almost two-thirds (60 percent) of the holiday gift budget during the Black Friday shopping week (Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday) will go towards tech products.
Top Tech Products
Among U.S. adults intending to purchase tech products during November, including Black Friday Week, the top five tech products shoppers plan to buy are:
- Videogame consoles
- Smartphones
- TVs
- Laptops
- Tablets
“Once again, perennial tech favorites including videogame consoles, smartphones and TVs will perform well during the Black Friday shopping week – with, on average, 33 percent of consumers holding off on these types of big-ticket tech purchases until that timeframe,” said Koenig. “However, expect to see wearables and smart home products, in particular, go on sale and also fly off the shelves in the coming weeks.”
Over the course of the extended holiday shopping season, which lasts the entire fourth quarter of the year (from October through December), CTA projects strong U.S. sales for:
- Smart speakers such as Amazon’s Echo and Google Home, which will sell 4.4 million units (up 22 percent over 2016)
- Drones are projected to sell 1.6 million units this holiday season (up 31 percent)
- VR headsets which CTA projects U.S. sales of 2.7 million units (up 283 percent)
CTA’s 2017 Pre-Black Friday Survey was designed and formulated by the Consumer Technology Association. It represents the findings of the study conducted Nov. 2-5, 2017, using a combined landline and mobile telephone sample consisting of 1,006 U.S. adults. Please cite any information to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™. For CTA’s Pre-Black Friday Survey and full holiday outlook, visit CTA.tech/holiday
