Consumers were all about saving money this Black Friday, so much in fact, that technology revenue dropped on-year during the week according to NPD. Total revenue for the busy shopping week was just over $2.7 billion, a 1.2% decline from 2008.
Computers and televisions have led US technology sales figures throughout 2009. With new OS launches, other refreshes, and all-time low prices, overall computer sales volume increased 63% from last year. The average cost of notebook computers fell by $160 to $500.
| Consumer Technology Black Friday Price Declines | ||
| 2008 | 2009 | |
| LCD TVs | -5% | -22% |
| Notebook Computers | -8% | -26% |
| Camcorders | -7% | -33% |
| Point and Shoot Cameras | -12% | -7% |
| GPS | -22% | -14% |
| Stereo Headphones | -11% | -19% |
Meanwhile, flat-panel televisions showed strong demand, but aggressive pricing resulted in negative revenue from 2008. The average selling price of flat-panel sets fell by more than 20% to $535, unit volume sales rose by 15%, and revenue declined 9%.
Results were mixed in other core categories, though most saw strong unit-volume results. Camcorder sales increased 55%, Blu-ray players were up 53%, computer hard drives rose 33%, GPS systems improved 15%, while both cameras and multi-function printers were flat compared to 2008.