PC sales up in USA
August 14, 1997
Home PC Purchases Hit 13-Week
High
(08/13/97; 10:00 a.m. EDT)
By Aaron Ricadela, Computer Retail Week
ARLINGTON, Va. -- Home computer purchases,
buoyed by strong purchasing levels among repeat
buyers, increased sharply last week to reach their
highest level in 13 weeks, according to the latest
weekly survey of PC demand conducted on behalf of
Computer Retail Week and the Consumer Electronics
Manufacturing Association.
For the week ended Aug. 9, the number of households
reporting a PC purchase in the past 30 days climbed
to 0.98 percent of the 2,460 households surveyed by
The Verity Group, in Fullerton, Calif. This exceeds by
0.08 percent the 26-week average purchasing level,
according to the survey.
Among computer-buying households, 54.17 percent
described their purchase as an additional PC, and
29.17 percent said the purchase was a replacement.
The 26-week average for both types of repeat
purchases hovers slightly above 31 percent. Only
16.67 percent of households described themselves as
first-time buyers, almost 18 percent below average for
the past 26 weeks.
Household PC penetration held steady at 40 percent,
just slightly below the average of 40.3 percent during
the past 12 weeks.
PC buying plans were also stable last week, with 1.83
percent of households reporting they were very likely
to purchase a home computer within the next six
months. This figure is 0.17 percent below the 26-week
average.
While PC demand increased, color TV purchases in
the past 30 days dropped off to 1.18 percent,
compared with a 26-week average purchase level of
1.3 percent. But 2.04 percent of households said they
were very likely to buy a color TV in the next half
year, up almost one-quarter of a percentage point
above the 26-week average.
VCR purchase levels fell to just under half of 1 percent
of households surveyed, compared with a 0.8 percent
average during 26 weeks. VCR purchasing plans rose
0.11 percent above average, to 1.51 percent of
households surveyed. Camcorder purchasing was
relatively steady, down 0.04 percent last week from its
26-week average. Household purchase plans for
camcorders rose 0.05 percent above average, to 0.85
percent. |
