During Black Friday Week (Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday), 86% of U.S. shoppers plan to buy tech devices, accessories and/or streaming services, according to a new report recently released by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA).
The 2020 Pre-Black Friday Week Survey finds the top planned purchases for tech shoppers during Thanksgiving Week are wireless earbuds/headphones (53%), down four percentage points (or ‘points’) from last year, mobile device cases (51%), up five points, streaming or download services (49%, up eight points), smartphones (46%, up five points) and portable battery chargers (44%, up two points).
“Technology has been critical to how we’ve gotten through the pandemic so far, and we’ll see that reflected during the holiday shopping season, too,” said Lesley Rohrbaugh, director, research, CTA. “This season, we’ll see a few unique themes emerge as a result of the pandemic – an earlier shopping period pulled forward into November, an impressive season for buying tech gifts including smartphones and streaming services, and more shoppers than ever using mobile devices to help shop remotely.”
Holiday Shopping Season Begins Early
With potential shipping delays, tight retail inventory and in-person shopping protocols affected by the pandemic, many retailers began their holiday sales campaigns ahead of schedule, and more consumers are shopping earlier instead of waiting until Black Friday Week. Compared to last year, more U.S. adults plan to shop in November (45%), up seven points.
During Black Friday Week specifically, the U.S. will see a slightly lower turnout of general holiday shoppers, with 45% of adults planning to shop between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday (down four points from 2019) and 30% planning to shop in December, down eight points from last year.
U.S. Adults Still Plan to Shop for Tech at Brick-and-Mortar
Most U.S. adults purchasing tech during Black Friday Week still plan to shop in brick-and-mortar stores (97%), while more consumers plan to use their mobile devices (86%) and voice-activated digital assistants (51%) to shop compared to last year.
CTA Holiday Research
Over the entire holiday shopping season, spanning October through December, CTA projects overall tech spending on products and services will reach $135 billion in U.S. revenue, up 10% in 2020. To keep up to date with all of CTA’s holiday research this season, visit CTA.tech/holiday, where the report is available at no cost for CTA members or for purchase.
This quantitative study, designed and formulated by CTA, was administered to an online sample of 2006 U.S. adults between October 30 through November 1, 2020.
See also: Stuff Those Stockings! Holiday Gift Idea Product Spotlight
