Picture this: Digital cameras will be the hottest item in Canada this Christmas
16 November 2006
Home electronics and technology are hot among Canadian consumers, with up to 3.7 million households planning to buy a 'gadget' this holiday season, according to a recent survey by global market research firm Synovate. Within this category, digital cameras are the most sought after product this year.
Close to 1.3 million households are in the market for a digital camera this holiday season, an increase of 400,000 potential purchasers compared with spring 2006. Synovate's quarterly Household Equipment Canada survey, which tracks purchases and purchase intent for home durable items, estimates that 4.3 million Canadian households do not yet own a digital camera. The other home entertainment products that are popular this season are MP3 players, colour TVs and DVD players.
"With Christmas fast approaching, it is worth noting that about three in ten Canadian households plan to purchase at least one Electronics & Technology product before the end of the year," said Adrian Murphy, Syndicated Research Services Director for Synovate Canada. "And the closer it gets to the holidays, the more consumers want to buy a digital camera, MP3 player and/or colour TV."
Within the Home Electronics category, home entertainment products such as colour TVs and DVD players generate two-thirds of total home electronics consumer spending nationally. Cameras represent about 25% of consumer spending within Home Electronics both for 2005 and 2006.
Where do Canadians buy their new gadgets? Thirty-nine percent of all money spent in this category was spent at electronics stores such as Future Shop and Best Buy. This is down slightly from 2005, when 42% was spent there. Mass and discount retailers such as Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire are up slightly this year, going from 11% of dollar share in 2005 to 13% in 2006. Third in total home electronic sales in Canada are furniture and appliance stores such as The Brick and Bault & Martineau, which are slightly down this year, from 9% in 2005 to 7% in 2006 of total dollar share.
Future Shop leads both the total Home Electronics and Total Home Entertainment categories in sales while Wal-Mart leads in blank media. Camera specialty stores such as Henry's and Black's remain a solid #2 in the Camera category.
About Household Equipment Canada
HEC is a comprehensive tracking study measuring consumer purchases among a broad range of Home Durables products. In existence since the late 1960's, HEC utilizes Synovate's online panel of almost 120,000 Canadian households to provide quarterly, and soon monthly, reports on categories ranging from major and small appliances, electronics and tools to outdoor products and furniture among others. Information provided includes market sizing, brand and retailer shares, demographics, product feature-sets, purchase motivators and demotivators as well as product usage and retailer draw/close.
Contact(s) for this press release
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Jennifer Chhatlani
Global Marketing Director |
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222 South Riverside Plaza |
Tel: +1 312 526 4359 |
Synovate generates insights to help clients drive competitive brand, product and customer experience strategies. Now part of Ipsos, with offices in over 80 countries, our approach combines best in class global research capabilities with personalised service, local knowledge and the flexibility to create teams and processes that meet clients' specific requirements. At Synovate, our clients sit at the top of our organisational chart, driving us to continually develop more innovative research solutions that predict actual business outcomes.
For more information on Synovate visit www.synovate.com.