Michael and thread, PC Sales in Fourth Week of January Expand Sharply
February 23, 1998 (TOKYO) -- Sales of personal computers by about 2,000 large-volume electric appliance stores in the fourth week of January (Jan. 26-Feb. 1) increased by 9.4 percent in terms of volume, and 8.5 percent in terms of value, from the previous week, according to data gathered by GfK Japan Ltd.
In comparison to the same week in the previous year (January 27 to February 2, 1997), the number of units sold increased by 10.4 percent, and the sales amount increased 5.7 percent. (See table.)
The average sales price dropped 1,871 yen (US$15) from 226,551 yen (US$1,798) in the previous week to 224,680 yen (US$1,783), or less than in the fifth week of December 1997, and it was the lowest level since the data was first compiled by GfK Japan.
While the number of units sold increased by a double-digit figure from the week before for the second straight week, the increase in value is only a little over half of the growth in the number of units.
The average PC sales price has been declining. The average sales price of notebook PCs declined nearly 10 percent from the same week a year before. For desktop PCs, the average sales price is 209,359 yen (US$1,662).
However, because many makers are launching new products in February, it is not likely that the average price will soon fall by a substantial margin.
GfK Japan collects point of sales (POS) data from about 2,600 stores operated by 54 companies that handle IT-related household electrical appliances in Japan. Nikkei Market Access reports on the number of PCs sold and the amount of sales each week, with the cooperation of GfK Japan.
To compare data on the number of units sold and sales amount over time, GfK has been collecting POS data from the same 41 companies and about 2,000 stores since 1996. The total number of personal computers sold in the stores covered by GfK Japan is estimated to comprise about 10 percent of all PCs shipped in Japan, and about 25 percent of PCs sold through store sales channels.
The following graphs are available on the home page of Nikkei Market Access. In Japanese only.
- Trends in the number of (all types of) PCs sold in a week.
- Trends in the sales amount (in money) of (all types of) PCs in a week.
- Trends in average sales prices of (all types of) PCs sold in a week.
- Trends in the number of desktop PCs sold in a week.
- Trends in the sales amount of desktop PCs in a week.
- Trends in the average sales price of desktop PCs in a week.
- Trends in the number of notebook PCs sold in a week.
- Trends in the sales amount of notebook PCs in a week.
- Trends in the average sales price of notebook PCs in a week.
Table: Sales of PCs at 2,000 volume retailers of electric appliances in the fourth week of January 1998
This is a comparison of the sales data with the comparable data in the same week of the previous year. (Source: Survey by GfK Japan)
Total
Desktop PC
Notebook PC
Week-on-week comparison
Year-before weekly comparison
Week-on-week comparison
Year-before weekly comparison
Week-on-week comparison
Year-before weekly comparison
Volume
+9.4%
+10.4%
+7.9%
-19.0%
+11.0%
+79.9%
Value
+8.5%
+5.7%
+6.4%
-23.2%
+10.5%
+62.5%
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