Steve gave you 1994 - however, will 1997 look any different? Note that the expectation is that things will pick up strongly as of mid-November!
K.
Home PC Purchases Remain Slow (11/26/97; 10:10 a.m. EST)
By Aaron Ricadela, Computer Retail Week
On the eve of the biggest retail weekend of the year, home PC purchasing was slow. But a growing percentage of consumers reported plans to buy systems in the near future.
According to the latest weekly survey for the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association and Computer Retail Week, conducted by The Verity Group of Fullerton, Calif., home computer purchasing for the week ended Nov. 14 matched its lowest level of the year. This kept average demand for the most recent eight weeks below the 39-week average.
During the week ended Nov. 14, 0.29 percent of the 2,438 households surveyed by The Verity Group reported buying a home computer in the past 30 days. That brought the average for the past eight weeks to 0.69 percent, compared with a 39-week average of 0.80 percent. The most recent eight survey samples comprise 17,271 households.
Although PC purchasing fell, home computer purchasing plans jumped. During the week of Nov. 14, 1.72 percent of households surveyed reported they were very likely to buy a PC in the next six months. The most recent eight-week average moved ahead slightly, to 1.38 percent, but still well below the 1.9 percent average of the past 39 weeks of the survey.
According to the survey, replacement PC purchases jumped to 28.57 percent of total households reporting a PC purchase in the past 30 days, up from 7.14 percent the prior week. During the past eight weeks of the survey, 30.96 percent of households have described themselves as buying a replacement PC in the past 30 days, and 27.19 percent have said they bought an additional computer. The 39-week averages for both types of repeat buyers are 31.6 percent and 30.2 percent, respectively, suggesting an almost equal balance over the long run between replacement and additional PC purchasers.
The percentage of first-time buyers declined from the previous week, to 42.86 percent, but first-time purchases during the past eight weeks have exceeded their average for the year.
Thomas Karkowski, president of Syracuse Computer Store, in Syracuse, N.Y., said the number of repeat buyers at his store has swelled in recent weeks, and several have bought more than one desktop in a shopping trip, often for family members.
He said he projected his November sales will increase 10 percent over October. Karkowski said the strongest growth has come from high-end Compaq Presarios. "A lot of people come in looking at the low-end systems, but for another $400 or $500, theyOll step up," he said.
Household PC penetration held at 42 percent for the week ended Nov. 14, and 41.88 percent during the past eight weeks, according to the Verity survey. Average penetration over the 25 weeks CEMA and CRW have tracked the statistic is 40.9 percent.
Demand for consumer electronics was mixed last week, but purchasing plans were mostly higher with the approaching holidays. Color TV demand over the prior 30 days was 0.98 percent. The eight-week moving average is 1.03 percent, compared with 1.2 percent over 39 weeks. In the past eight weeks, households with plans to buy a color TV in the next six months have averaged 1.67 percent, compared with a 39-week average of 1.7 percent.
VCR purchasing jumped last week, to 8.2 percent of households reporting purchases in the past 30 days. Demand in the past eight weeks is 2.06 percent, far outpacing the 39-week average of 0.2 percent. Plans to buy in the past eight weeks are 1.27 percent, compared with a 39-week average of 1.4 percent. Camcorder purchasing was slightly lower last week, while plans to buy moved ahead.
Copyright (c) CMP Media, 1997.
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